A Dark and Dangerous Past
by moonbluewolf
Summary: Trinity has a past in Mystic Falls with the Salvatore Brothers, but what will happen when her current beau Dean Winchester meets her friend Damon Salvatore? Will they be able to put aside their differences to face an even worse enemy...Katharine?
1. A Case In Virginia

**A Dark and Dangerous Past**

Chapter 1: A Case In Virginia

"Hey," Dean called as he swept into the room, carrying the newspaper. I turned around, and looked at him.

"Hey," I called back. "What's up?" I asked, noticing how alert he was. He held up the paper.

"Have you seen the news? There've been three mysterious deaths in the past three days, in a little town called Mystic Falls, Virginia," he said. My ears perked up at the name; I knew the town, and probably the vampire behind the killings. I stood up, and looked at him, my full attention on what he'd said.

"What kind of mysterious deaths?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't say anything about vampires.

"All three vics, they've been drained of all their blood. We've got a vampire problem," he said, sighing. Dean hated vampires. I turned away from him.

"Damon," I said, closing my eyes. Dammit, that son of a bitch.

Damon Salvatore was a vampire, but he was also a friend of mine; although, he wasn't a great friend.

"Damon? Who's Damon?" Dean asked me. I turned around, and started packing up my things.

"A vampire...and a friend of mine," I said, sighing. I turned to face him, ready for a lecture. He looked at me like I was crazy.

"How could you possibly be friends with a vampire? How could that happen?" Dean asked. "These things are killers, Trin, they go for the girls, especially the pretty ones like you," he said, walking up to me. I looked up at him, gazing into his green eyes, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Yes, Damon is a vampire, but he's not like the others, Dean. He's had his moments where he's dangerous and insane, but its okay now. He wouldn't hurt me, he knows me, and he has feelings for me. I didn't return those feelings though," I told him. He scoffed.

"Great, so we have a love-sick vamp on our hands. Either that, or he's even more dangerous," Dean said, not looking at me.

"Dean, he also knows what I do; trust me, he's not dangerous, because he knows what'll happen if I find out he's hurt someone," I pointed out.

"Trinity, it's him that's killing these people. Unless there are others, are there others?" he asked.

"There's his brother, Stephan. But there's no reason to suspect him; he protects the town from vampires, sometimes with help from his _human_ girlfriend, Elena Gilbert. I'm friends with all of them," I said. Dean nodded, not liking this at all.

"Then its gotta be Damon, he replied, walking away. He leaned against the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. I shrugged.

"Dean, sometimes rogue vamps wander into town, and pitch their tents. They'll stay in town for centuries, deciding if and when they'll move on," I said. He nodded, and looked down. I walked up to him, and wrapped my arms around his neck again. He sighed and placed his hands on my hips.

"So, if we go, will Damon...how will he react to you coming back?" Dean asked. I shrugged.

"Not sure. He'll probably act like Damon. He can be a smart-ass, I'll tell you that right now," I said, rolling my eyes. "He's almost got the same personality you do, you know, the free-spirited bad boy complex," I said. He smiled, and bent down to kiss me. His lips were full of desire as they claimed mine. He then moved down to my neck, making me tingle. He stopped and looked at me.

"I love it when you do that," I told him, chuckling. He kissed me on my collarbone, and it sent shivers down my spine. "Alright, that's not fair," I added, leaning back.

"Why?" he asked, smiling.

"Because I can't retaliate. That's like the number one spot," I told him. He chuckled.

"That's your number one spot, not mine. You haven't found mine, yet," he playfully challenged.

"Maybe not yet, but I will," I responded, smiling. He backed up, and started packing his bags. I went around to look at him. "Are you sure this is a good idea? If Damon finds out I brought hunters to town, he'll be furious," I told Dean.

"Are you asking me to forget about this? I thought you said Damon wasn't behind the murders," Dean said, turning to face me.

"He'll still be angry that there's hunters in town. He probably won't even like the idea that I'm back. Damon is unpredictable, especially when it comes to his reactions and emotions," I said. Dean rolled his eyes. "I just want you to be careful around him, Dean. When he's angry, he goes crazy, and its dangerous. And when he's drunk and upset, do NOT go near him," I warned him.

"I can handle him," Dean said, as he rolled up one of his shirts, and stuffed it into his bag.

"Yea, that's what I thought," I said. Dean looked at me, confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked. I turned around, and lifted my shirt to reveal a large black bruise on my back. I felt Dean's fingers graze over it, and barely touch it.

"Its okay, it doesn't hurt. Its like a year old, but yea, it's a reminder of what Damon can do when he's not thinking clearly," I said, dropping my shirt, and turning back around. Dean's eyes were wide with fear, and concern.

"What did he do to you?" he asked.

"Well, remember the not returned feelings, and the upset and drunk not being a good combo? Let's just say, Damon used my back for batting practice not long after. Its a good thing the bat had been wooden, and not metal. I'd be paralyzed if it had been. I never saw it coming, and its a good thing Stephan was there," I said. Dean looked at me, confused.

"Why?"

"He saved my life, Dean. If he hadn't been there, Damon probably would've killed me, or at least put me in the hospital with severe injuries," I said, my arms crossed over my chest. "Hell, now that I think about it, he probably would've turned me," I said, shivering in fear.

"After everything you've told me, I can't believe you'd call him a friend," Dean said. I shrugged.

"Well, there's more to the story," I told him.


	2. Mystic Falls, Two Years Ago

**Chapter 2: Mystic Falls,Two Years Ago**

"Damon Salvatore and Stephan are brothers?" I asked Elena, as I closed my locker door. She nodded.

"Yep, but they're nothing alike. Damon is more of a bad boy, not to mention the whole vampire thing," she said, linking her arm with mine.

"How's it going with Stephan? You two seem pretty friendly," I said, smiling. Elena's eyes narrowed, and she smiled.

"It's going great, really great. I love him, and I enjoy being with him," she said, still smiling. "How bout you and Dean? Are you going with him when he leaves?" she asked, the smile disappearing from her face. I nodded, sighing.

"I don't have a choice, Elena, I love him. I wanna be with him. He's a part of me now," I told her. She nodded.

"I know what you mean. If Stephan was leaving, I would definitely have to go with him. I'll miss you, we all will," she said, wrapping her small arms around me. I hugged her back, and closed my eyes.

"I'll miss you, too, all of you guys," I told her. "You have been great to me. Thank you so much for everything," I said.

"No problem, come back and visit whenever you're in the area," she replied. My cell phone rang then, and I saw that it was Dean calling.

"Its Dean. I'll talk to you later, Elena," I said.

"Okay, bye. Oh, tell him I said hi," she called, as I walked away, smiling.

"Hey Dean...what? But that's not...oh my gosh...okay...yea, come and get me...no, I've got one bag to pack. I can just come back for the rest, right?...okay...okay...love you too...bye," I said, and hung up.

Dean arrived ten minutes later, and I jumped into the back seat of the Impala.

"Hey, guys. Okay, give me the goods," I told Sam.

"Six murders over the past two days. Damn demons are at it again," Sam replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Seems like they're everywhere," I said, sighing.

"Yea, you're not kidding," Dean replied.

"Dean, Elena says hey," I told him. He smiled at me in the rear view mirror, and I smiled back. I leaned over the front seat, and kissed him on the cheek, then moved my lips to his ear. "And so do I," I whispered, smiling. He grinned, and I sat back in the seat, buckling my seat belt.

About three hours later, we had killed all the demons, and were on our way back to Elena's house to gather the rest of my stuff.

Dean let me go in and get my stuff, and to say goodbye. I went upstairs to my room, and started packing my crap.

"Headed out?" a voice called from behind me, making me jump. I turned around, and saw Damon sitting in the window, curtains blowing in the wind.

"Not even a goodbye for me? I'm disappointed, Trin. Going somewhere with that boyfriend of yours?" he asked, a hint of acid in his voice. He wandered around my room, not looking at me.

"Yea, why? What do you want, Damon?" I asked, nervously. The last thing I wanted to do was piss off a vampire like Damon. He turned towards me, a smirk on his lips.

"I wanted to tell you something, something important," he said, walking up to me.

My heart sped up as he got closer. He slowly placed his hand under my chin, and raised my chin so that I would be at eye level with him. "I have feelings for you, Trinity," he said. I recoiled out of his grasp, and looked into his eyes. There was no disbelief or any hint of joking in his tone; he was serious.

"Damon," I said, quietly.

"Trinity," he responded, a grin spreading across his face. He leaned in to kiss me, but I stepped back out of his reach.

"Damon, no," I said. He gave up, and turned to walk away from me, but I grabbed his hand. "Look, I care about you, you've been a good friend to me. You've been there for me, and you've helped me, but I love Dean. I'm sorry," I said. He looked at me, and there was a cold jealousy in his eyes.

"Fine, run along with your hunter," he spat at me. I grabbed my bag and ran out of the room, shaky.

I got outside to the Impala, but before I got in, I saw Damon in the window up in the bedroom. He was looking at me with a cold glare.

"Alright, let's go," I told Dean as I climbed into the car. He turned around, confusion in his features.

"What's the hurry?" he asked.

"Nothing, the adrenaline is starting to pump," I lied. Luckily, Dean bought it, and turned around, starting the Impala and took off down the driveway. I looked back, but Damon was no longer there. I looked down, sadly, knowing that I had hurt him.

We arrived at our destination, about two hours outside of Mystic Falls.

"The demons are here?" Dean asked Sam. Sam nodded.

"Well good thing we came to them. I think Mystic Falls has enough monsters running around," he said, looking at me. I smirked at him.

"Alright, so there's a couple of good vampires in town; that's not a bad thing, Dean," I said, sweeping my flashlight around the room. "Its actually nice to have a few supercharged...hunters on our side if you think about it," I added, shrugging. I saw Dean roll his eyes, and I smiled. Dean was silent after that, and I wasn't sure how Dean really felt about the vampires in Mystic Falls. I told him they were good, the ones I knew, anyway. We looked around for a couple more hours, then I turned to the boys.

"Find anything?" I asked. They both shook their heads. "Yea, me neither," I replied. Dean gave up, and sat down in an old chair that looked like it was about to fall over.

"I give up, there's obviously nothing here," he said.

"Yep, me too," I said, sitting in the window sill across from the chair Dean was sitting in. I wiped the dust off my hands, and set them in my lap. Dean yawned, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What?" he asked, noticing my expression.

"How long has it been since you slept?" I asked him, not smiling. He sighed as he thought about it.

"A couple days at the most...I think," he replied. I shook my head. "What?" he asked.

"Dean, you need to get some rest; you're running on fumes. Tell me it hasn't been that long since you've ate," I said.

"No, no way, I ate yesterday. Why are you so worried?" he asked, obviously flattered. I looked at him with an isn't-it-obvious? look. He grabbed my hand softly, and pulled me into his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and sighed as I looked into his eyes.

"Don't worry so much," he said, stroking my hair. I smiled as I leaned into his hand, and closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes, he was looking at me with desire in his eyes. I stroked his face, and his lips. He leaned in to kiss me, his warm breath on mine. I ran my hands through his hair, and claimed his lips. They were soft and full of desire, like his eyes had been.

"Ahem," Sam coughed, walking in the room. I pulled away, and looked at Sam. I stood up, off Dean's lap, and sat back in the window. "Okay, there's nothing here, not anymore," Sam said, letting the awkward moment roll off his shoulders. "False alarm, I guess," he added. Dean grinned, and stood up.

"Let's get outta here," he said, pulling the keys out of his pocket. The three of us climbed into the front seat of the Impala, me in the middle, and took off down the road, headed back to Mystic Falls. I laid my head on Dean's shoulder, and watched the road wind to the left, then the right. I closed my eyes, and embraced the darkness, feeling safe by Dean's side.


	3. Mystic Falls, Two Years Ago Part II

**Chapter 3: Mystic Falls, 2 Years Ago**

**[Part 2]**

"So how did the hunt go last night?" Elena asked me the next morning. I shrugged.

"Not very well; we didn't find anything. Turned out to be a false alarm," I told her, using Sam's phrase. She nodded, and handed me a cup of coffee. After she did that, she sat down on the couch, cradling her own coffee.

"So what now? You guys gonna stick around for awhile longer?" she asked, sipping her coffee. I narrowed my eyes at her, suspiciously.

"Did you make that demon disappear last night to make us stay?" I asked her, smiling. She turned her head to the side, and looked at me.

"Maybe I got Bonnie to do it for me; she is a witch, you know," she replied, laughing. I laughed with her.

"That's probably what'll happen. There's no way Dean's gonna give up on this demon, he never gives up," I told her. She glanced at her watch, and stood up.

"Gotta get ready for school, you coming in today?" she asked, curiously.

"No, I can't, I've already withdrawn," I told her, apologetically. "I'm gonna head over to the Salvatore place, and try to patch up what friendship I have left with Damon," I told her. She looked at me, confused. "Yesterday, before I left, Damon and I..." I said, shaking my head. I remembered the look of hurt in his eyes, and it made me flinch.

"He has feelings for me, Elena," I admitted to her. She looked at me with wide eyes.

"He told you that?" she asked. I nodded. "And you said..." she pressed.

"I told him I didn't return them, that I loved Dean," I told her, shrugging. She frowned.

"Well, in that case, be careful when you go over there. Damon upset is typically not a good thing," she replied.

"I will be, thanks," I told her. She nodded, and I followed her upstairs so that I could also get ready. About an hour later, I was walking out the door, and Elena and Stephan were downstairs. "Hey Stephan, how's it going?" I asked him, smiling. He embraced me, and stepped back, taking Elena's hand.

"It's going great, we're about to head out, so you'll have the place all to yourself," he replied. I smiled at him, and looked between them.

"I'm actually headed out myself, to your place. I need to talk to your brother," I said, looking at Stephan. His brows furrowed together, but Elena stopped him from asking the obvious question. I laughed at her subtlety.

"Bye guys," I called as I walked out the door. I jumped into the car Elena was loaning me while I was here, and I took off towards the Salvatore mansion.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the front of Damon's place, and I prayed that I wasn't making a big mistake coming here. I got out of the car, and walked up to the front door. I knocked, and after a few seconds, it opened. There was nobody behind it.

"Damon?" I called once inside the big house. I walked in deeper, and it felt like I was walking into a lion's den. The door closed, causing me to turn around. Damon closed the door, then walked closer to me.

"What are you doing here, Trinity? Isn't your hunter waiting for you?" he asked, his eyes growing big for a second before going back to normal.

"Actually, no, well I don't know...but I came here for you," I told him. He looked at me, intrigued, then used his vampire speed, and was right up in front of me. I gasped and backed up, not having saw it coming.

"Why? Did you come here to rub my face in your glorious life?" he asked, walking around me in a circle, smirking.

"No, of course not...I came to apologize about yesterday. I was hoping we could talk about what's going on between us," I told him. He narrowed his eyes at me, a small grin on his face.

"So...you wanna talk? To me? About what, our feelings?" he asked, still wearing that grin. I walked up to him, and slowly reached for his hand, keeping my eyes on his. I took his hand, and the grin disappeared from his features. I looked into his eyes.

"Damon, please," I said, softly, getting closer, not able to stop myself. He swallowed, and looked me in the eye. His free hand took my free hand, making my heart rate speed up. He leaned in to kiss me, but something inside of me stopped myself from stopping him. When his lips connected with mine, I went weak at the knees, and I still couldn't find the desire to stop.

I heard the door open, and jumped as I looked to see who...or what had interrupted the kiss. Elena was standing in the doorway with an icy glare in her eyes.

"Elena, what are you doing here?" Damon asked, the grin reappearing.

She used her vampiric speed and jumped in between me and Damon, slamming me into a wall. I felt a heavy blow to my head, and gasped. It wasn't Elena who had stopped us...it was,

"Katharine," I choked out.

"Hello, Trinity. How's it going?" she asked, her hand against my throat making it hard to breathe. I grasped her arm with my hands, and tried to loosen her grip, but she wasn't showing any struggle. Damon walked up next to her, and glared at her.

"Ladies, ladies, I know I'm irresistable, but this doesn't need to happen. Can't we just talk about this-" Katharine threw Damon across the room, knocking him out.

"Damon!" I tried yelling out, but Katharine's grip was too strong, it was only a whisper.

"Don't worry about him, I'm not finished with him just yet," she said, an evil grin on her face. I looked at Katharine with disgust.

"What's up, Katharine? I thought you wanted Stephan," I said.

"Oh I do, but I think the only way to get him to do what I want is to take prisoners...you and Damon will do," she said. She took a pair of handcuffs out of her jacket, and clicked one on my wrist tightly. She took the free one, and walked over to Damon, grabbing his hand. She dragged the both of us out of the house, and into the car I had driven over here. Stuffing me and Damon in the back together, she started the car and took off down the driveway. I laid Damon's head in my lap, and tended to his head wound as best as I could, but he was still out. I stroked his hair and his face, hoping to God we made it out of this alive.


	4. A Dangerous Situation

**Chapter 4: A Dangerous Situation**

[Part 3]

I woke up to the sound of water dripping from a pipe. _Plink, plink, plink..._

"Bout time you woke up, I was getting bored," I heard from the dark corner of the room. I struggled, and found I was chained in shackles to a wall. We were in some worn down abandoned building, a place that was dark and dank...and cold. _Perfect place for a vamp like Katharine,_ I thought to myself. I looked around for Damon, and found him sitting against the wall, apparently still out. I glared at Katharine.

"What did you do to him?" I asked, ice in my voice. She looked over at him, and grinned when she looked back at me. I raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she was grinning at.

"Worried about your boyfriend? Oh wait, you're dating a hunter...what's his name...Deanna, Deana..." she teased. I smirked at her, my eyes narrowed. She stood, and walked towards me, a small dagger in her hand. Considering something like that didn't work on vamps, it was meant for me. She traced along my jawline with her little pickstick, obviously thinking about taking a bite out of me.

"So...you and Damon, huh? What about your hunter, no room in your two partner dance-off or what?" she asked, obviously enjoying this. I laughed at her, and she turned.

"What about you, Katharine? All those games you played with them, and you ended up with Stephan? You can't tell me you didn't feel anything for Damon, he would've never been a pawn if that had been the case," I told her. The grin disappeared, and a cold look passed over her features. She was in front of me within seconds.

"You better watch it, or the only thing Stephan will be rescuing will be your dead body," she retorted. I smiled; I'd obviously gotten under her skin with that remark. Then I realized that she didn't mention Dean, which made me wonder...

"What do you mean, Stephan? Not saving room for my hunter, as you call him? You know as well as I do, the party needs more than three guests, or its no fun," I said, smiling. She took out her dagger, and pressed it against my throat, when we heard a high-pitch whistle. I looked over to where Damon was up, but obviously still kinda weak looking.

"Katharine, ladies, let's play nice," he said, sounding dazed. Katharine backed off, and stuffed the dagger back in her dress. I turned my attention to Damon.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked. He gave me the okay signal.

"Just peachy, its always fun getting knocked out by the girl you love, or rather _loved_, past tense," he said, with an icy glare in Katharine's direction. She scowled at him.

"Damon, I don't get it...how does a vamp like you end up protecting things like her from me? I would've thought you'd be on my side. I mean after all, she did turn you down, like Elena,"

"And you," Damon added, narrowing his eyes at her. "Come on, Katharine, you know you have no grudge against her...why don't you let her go?" he asked, seeing through her charade.

"No, Damon, its fine...I'm not leaving you here alone with her," I said, glaring at Katharine.

"Don't be an idiot, she'll end up having you for dinner," he told me, also glaring at her. Katharine narrowed her eyes at us, and pulled an arrow out of nowhere. She walked up to Damon, and sliced into his skin. His grunt of agony made him bow his head, but he held it up, and looked Katharine in the eye, a smirk crossing his features.

"Damon, to answer your question...no, I'm gonna keep her til your brother gets here. Once he does, I'm gonna make him a deal," she told us.

"Aww, look Damon, she's sweet enough to tell us her plan," I said, smirking in her direction. She hit me in the gut, forcing me to double over in pain. I heard Damon struggling, and Katharine turned her head towards him.

"Aww, Trinity, he's worried about you...he really does have feelings for you, you know? And you rejected him...usually that doesn't sit well with him...I'm actually surprised he hasn't killed you yet," she said. Then something flickered in her eye, and a small grin crossed her face. She turned to Damon, and placed her hands behind her back, as she walked up to him. He looked at her, a heavy look of suspicion on his face.

"What the hell are you looking at?" he asked her, looking her up and down. She laid her hand on his shoulder and put her lips to his ear, all the while looking at me.

"She betrayed you, Damon. Wouldn't you enjoy getting your hands dirty, who cares about one little human? And you used to be a bad ass yourself, or don't you remember?" she asked him, an evil smirk on her face. My heart sped up as I realized what she was trying to do, and looked over at Damon. His eyes were narrowed, and he bowed his head...she was in his head. He looked at me with a glimmer of the same evil in his eyes. "Come to me, my Damon...you used to say nobody could resist you...are you gonna let her get away with that?" she said in an audible whisper.

"Damon don't listen to her, she's trying to turn you...you know you'll never get anywhere being the way you used to be. Don't let her turn you into a monster, Damon...you're good now," I said, not knowing what else to do. I struggled against the chain, afraid that soon, I'd be the only sane one here. _Dean, Stephan, please hurry..._

~DEAN'S POV~

"Come on, Trin, answer your phone, dammit," I muttered to myself. I took the phone from my ear, and looked at the screen. I closed it in my fist, and put my hand in my jacket pocket. Sam looked at me, his brows knitted together.

"Still not picking up?" he asked, rolling his shirt into a ball and shoving it into the duffel bag. I shook my head, the worry already starting to settle in. I grabbed my jacket and my keys.

"I'm gonna head over to Elena's and see if maybe she's over there," I told him. I started the car, and drove the ten minutes to Elena's house. When I arrived at the house, I went up the front stairs, Elena and Stephan came walking out. She had a surprised look on her face when she noticed me standing there.

"Dean, what are you doing here?" she asked, a grin spreading across her face. I smiled back, casually.

"I'm looking for Trinity. Is she here, by any chance?" I asked, hoping she'd say yes. She looked at Stephan, and shook her head.

"No, about three hours ago, she said she was headed to my mansion to talk to Damon," Stephan replied. I looked away from them, out towards the horizon.

"Dammit, where are you?" I muttered.

"She's probably still there, Dean, why don't you try her cell?" Elena asked. I shook my head.

"I've tried her three times, she won't answer," I responded, looking down at my phone to make sure I didn't miss any calls or texts. Nothing. Stephan and Elena looked at each other, and nodded.

"Why don't we go over to the mansion, there might be something going on," Stephan said, his brows furrowed. I nodded, and jumped into the Impala, and followed them to the house.

When we got there, Trinity's car was gone, but Elena and Stephan parked and got out, so I followed suit. They looked around, even though there was nothing here. Stephan took a ring of keys out of his pocket, and walked up to the front door. Elena crossed over to me, and gently touched my arm.

"Wherever she is, I'm sure she's fine," she said, reassuringly. Stephan marched up the front steps, and stopped in his tracks, as did me and Elena. The front door was wide open as if a freak wind had blown it open. Stephan ran in, Elena and me on his heels. He looked around, and went into several different rooms before returning to the front hall where me and Elena had stayed. He held a piece of paper in his hand, and had a horrified expression on his face. I looked at him, and felt my stomach muscles tighten.

**Stephan,**

**I have your brother...and Trinity. If you want them back alive, you are to meet me at 1329 Larson Avenue. Come alone, or the girl dies...**

** Your darling,**

** Katharine**


	5. An Unlikely Alliance

**Chapter 6: The Plan**

~Dean's POV~

"Alright, so what do we do? How do we get them out without tipping her off?" I asked. We were sitting at a table in the far room of the Salvatore Mansion. Elena brought two mugs of coffee from the kitchen, and set one in front of me before taking her seat next to Stephan.

"You do realize the level of danger we're facing here, right? If she, in any way, suspects she's being double-crossed, she will kill Trinity," he replied, emphasizing each word. I stared at him, intensely, and nodded.

"I think I can handle it, the question is...can you?" I asked, suddenly realizing I didn't know where he stood on the issue. Trinity had told me of their long and colorful history, but not too many details had been spilled out. He looked at me, confused, his eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"How do I know that once we get there, you won't get all google-eyed on us, and ruin the plan? Do you still love her like you did?" I asked, noticing Elena shaking her head as she glanced between the two of us.

"Dean," Elena whispered from across the table.

"No, its okay, Elena," he said, taking her hand into his, and turned his attention back to me. "Dean, I know what you do, which means I know you feel you can't trust me, or Damon for that matter. But, you have to realize I care about Trinity as well, she's a good friend, despite what I am. And she's also one of Elena's best friends," he replied. "I will save her, I promise you," he said. I nodded, and looked towards Elena.

"What about Elena? What is she gonna do? Would she be safe here alone?" I asked him, curiously.


	6. The Plan

**Chapter 6: The Plan**

~Dean's POV~

"Alright, so what do we do? How do we get them out without tipping her off?" I asked. We were sitting at a table in the far room of the Salvatore Mansion. Elena brought two mugs of coffee from the kitchen, and set one in front of me before taking her seat next to Stephan.

"You do realize the level of danger we're facing here, right? If she, in any way, suspects she's being double-crossed, she will kill Trinity," he replied, emphasizing each word. I stared at him, intensely, and nodded.

"I think I can handle it, the question is...can you?" I asked, suddenly realizing I didn't know where he stood on the issue. Trinity had told me of their long and colorful history, but not too many details had been spilled out. He looked at me, confused, his eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"How do I know that once we get there, you won't get all google-eyed on us, and ruin the plan? Do you still love her like you did?" I asked, noticing Elena shaking her head as she glanced between the two of us.

"Dean," Elena whispered from across the table.

"No, its okay, Elena," he said, taking her hand into his, and turned his attention back to me. "Dean, I know what you do, which means I know you feel you can't trust me, or Damon for that matter. But, you have to realize I care about Trinity as well, she's a good friend. And she's also one of Elena's best friends," he replied. "I will save her, I promise you," he said. I nodded, and looked towards Elena.

"What about Elena? What is she gonna do? Would she be safe here alone?" I asked him, curiously. Stephan looked over at Elena, and then back at me.

"I want you to go to Bonnie's, and get Caroline over there, too; they can protect you if anything happens before we get back," he told her. She nodded, and took a deep breath. He nodded at her, and turned back to me.

"Alright, so what's the plan? Do you go in and draw her out, while I sneak in the back?" I asked, ready to get this show on the road. He thought about it for a minute, and shook his head.

"No, Katharine's smart, she'll see right through it," he answered. He looked around the table, his eyes darting over the surface like he was searching for something. "She can't know you're there, which means I have to go in alone completely...it should be good enough for her to release them," he said, not looking at me. "Okay, we need a new plan," he said after a few minutes. I looked at him, surprised and confused. "Dean, with our hearing... she'll hear you, then she'll kill Trinity...you can't be there. Okay, here's the deal...you're gonna stay here with Elena," he said. I tried to protest, but he cut me off. "I know you wanna be there, but you're dealing with a dangerously smart vampire...you cannot be there for the rescue mission this time," Stephan said. I clenched my jaw, and narrowed my eyes at the vampire, and sighed.

"Fine, I'll stay...but I swear to God, if she's hurt in any way, I'm holding you and your brother responsible," I said, getting up from the table. I gave him one last glare before walking out the door, not bothering to shut the door on my way out. I went out to the Impala, and pulled a beer out of the ice chest, hidden in the back seat of the car, and leaned against the hood of the car. The sky had turned from a bright blue to a blood red color, and it just reminded me of what was going on here. I climbed into the driver's seat, and stuck the keys into the ignition, listening to the soft purr of the engine as it came to life. Sticking a Metallica cassette into the player, I laid my head back, letting the music wash over me, and closed my eyes. _Black hair, piercing blue eyes, the curve of her hips, the way she walked...Trinity...oh to God, I hope you're alive...it won't be me who saves you this time, and I'm sorry..._

_so close no matter how far_

_couldn't be much more from the heart_

_forever trusting who we are_

_and nothing else matters_

_..._

_trust I seek and I find in you_

_every day for us something new_

_open mind for a different view_

_and nothing else matters_

Suddenly, there was a knock on the passenger window, bringing me out of my reverie. I looked over and saw Elena waiting for me. I turned off the engine, and got out of the car, and walked around to the other side.

"It's time, Dean, Stephan's ready to go," she told me. She stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, and squinted against the sunlight as I got closer. I nodded, and walked up the stairs to meet Stephan.

"I've decided to go with you," I told him. He sighed, and shook his head.

"Dean, its not a good idea, she will kill Trinity, I'm not-"

"I can't sit here, and do nothing while the bitch has Trinity! I have to do something," I told him, my jaw clenched tightly. "I told her I'd always come for her when she needed me, this being one of those times," I spat. "Besides, its because of you and your damn brother she's even in this mess," I remarked, snarling at the vampire in front of me. He stood there, but wasn't looking at me. "What, no comeback, no threat? I'm going with you...let's go," I said, and walked back down the stairs towards the Impala. I jerked the door of the car open, and slammed it close, then looked out the passenger window to see Stephan holding Elena, and kissing her. He let her go, and walked to the Impala, and climbed into the passenger seat. Starting the car, I put it into drive, and sped off down the road, while Stephan navigated. _Hold on, Trin, I'm coming...just hold on a little bit longer,_ I thought, hoping I wasn't already too late.


	7. The Rescue, Part I

**Chapter 7: The Rescue, Part 1**

~Trinity's POV~

"I swear you touch him again, I will make sure you feel every ounce of pain that I unleash on you, you bitch!" I spat. Katharine had taken it upon herself to rub dead man's blood onto Damon, knowing its effects on vampires. She bent her head back and looked at the ceiling before looking at me with an annoyed look on her face.

"I swear, you two are unbelievable...I torture you, Trinny, and Damon gets defensive, but torturing him is horrifying to you...is this a game you guys practice playing or something?" she asked, looking between the two of us. She slowly crossed over to my side, the blade of the knife in her hand shimmering in the dim lighting. She turned the blade over to where the sharp edge was against my skin, and sliced a nice scar down my chest. I didn't have the energy to scream, and something told me she was gonna end up killing me out of boredom waiting for Stephan. I knew one thing for sure, I wasn't going to last much longer, she was bleeding me to death. But she wanted to deliver the finishing blow once Stephan got here. She knew how much he cared, not only about the humans of Mystic Falls, but also about the people close to him and Elena. Barely able to hold my head up, I was able to notice Katharine walk around in a small circle, before sitting in a chair I hadn't known was there. She turned to Damon, and sighed.

"Is your brother ever gonna get here?" she asked him. He glared at her, not a hint of humor in his eyes anymore. He looked at me, intensely, and I could tell what he was thinking.

"We're gonna get outta here, Damon, Stephan is coming, and so is Dean...i know it," I told him. Katharine let out a silent giggle, turning the knife over in her hands.

"I suggest you pray against it, Trin," she said, smiling. I looked at her, confused.

"What's that supposed to mean? Dean is coming for me, he always does," I informed her. "And when he does, you'll be sorry," I threatened. Her grin only grew wider across her delicate features.

"Well then, you don't have long to live," she said, sighing. Damon looked from her to me, and then back to her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. She rolled her eyes, and stood up, and crossed to Damon.

"Before capturing you love birds, I left a little something behind for Stephan," she told Damon, and she turned to me, "and your darling of a hunter," she concluded. I narrowed my eyes at the monster in front of us.

"And this little something...would you mind elaborating?" I asked.

"Just a little note telling Stephan to come alone, or you die...that's all, but hey, solves my problem," she said, shrugging. I felt all the blood drain from my face, and my heart skip a beat before starting to pound. I couldn't help but put the pieces together...even if Stephan showed up, Dean would be with him, and I would die...either way, I was dead. I wasn't going home with Dean, and I could never tell Damon how I truly felt about him.

"Trinity, don't listen to her, nothing is going to happen to you... I won't let it. Even if Dean comes with Stephan, you'll get out of here alive, I promise you that," Damon said, looking into my eyes. I smiled, and tried my best to lift my head high enough to look at him, but couldn't.

"Damon, you can't compel me, I'm wearing a ring, nice try though," I informed him.

"I wasn't trying to compel you, I'm actually telling you, somehow I'll get you out of here and back to Dean," he said, glaring at Katharine. I felt a spark in my heart, a spark of the feelings Damon had for me, enabling me to finally believe what he had told me back in the bedroom. Katharine stepped between us, and grabbed a handful of Damon's hair.

"Don't try to be a hero, Damon, it was never one of your qualities," she said in a monotone. She kneed him in the gut, and let go of his hair. He spit out a mouthful of blood.

"You bitch, you've definitely reached abusive ex status," he remarked, still bent over.

I could feel my energy starting to give out, and I could barely keep my eyes open, and Damon noticed.

"You have to stay awake, Trinity; with your injuries and blood loss, you may not wake up...stay awake, stay with me, okay?" he asked. I nodded, or at least tried to. Katharine was sitting in the chair, obviously having given up on bouncing back and forth between me and Damon. My eyelids grew heavier by the second, and I was starting to lose it.

"Trinity, stay with me...stay awake," he said, his voice rising as I sank deeper and deeper into unconsciousness.

"I'm...sorry...Damon...can't stay awake...I'm...sor-" I whispered, before the darkness claimed me completely.

_I could still hear Damon screaming at me to wake up, and Katharine's evil laughter...I wasn't dead, not yet, anyway, but I could feel how close I was to the edge, to the end. Damon, I'm sorry...i never got to tell you how I felt about you, and I may never get the chance._

_ Dean, I love you..._

~Dean's POV~

I was going insane, and the music hadn't been helping, so I turned off the radio. "How far away are we?" I asked, looking over at him. He looked at the road, and sighed.

"About forty-five minutes out, we'll be there soon," he replied. I nodded, and sighed.

"Look, about what I said before, I...I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I was panicking, and frustrated, and I took it out on you, and I know that's not cool...I just want her back safe, you know?" I said. He nodded, and his face grew rigid as he looked out the windshield, seeing something I couldn't. He pointed to a road coming up, and told me to turn. I turned left, now headed west.

"With all due respect, I also want her back safely. I told you Dean, you're not the only one who cares about her," he said. "Of course, I love Elena, but Trinity's been a good friend to me, and even to Damon, even with knowing what we are. And I know its difficult for her sometimes, when it comes to Damon and I and you, it tears her down the middle. She told me once that...even though she loves you more than anything, she considers us a part of her, like we're family. The problem is, she knows it challenges her loyalty to you and what you do, and it hurts her to think of what it does to you, you know what I mean?" he asked, looking at me. I smiled, and nodded, shaking my head. "What?" he asked.

"She can have her issues sometimes, I just don't get how she can have vampires as friends...you guys aren't exactly the friendly bunch," I said, looking him up and down. Stephan chuckled, and looked down.

"Well, I'm sure she thought the same thing when she met us, especially Damon..he wasn't always the friendliest vampire here, but then Trinity came into his life, and he changed; he wasn't the sadistic, bloodthirsty vampire who had first showed up, he was a totally different person. He started caring, and even though he denied it, I could tell" he said, and he looked to be in a trance, like he was looking into the past. He suddenly looked up, and across the horizon, and told me to pull over. I pulled to the shoulder, and looked over at him, alert and confused. "The house where she's holding them isn't far from here, this is where I take over," he said, taking off the seat belt, and got out of the car.

"Wait, wait, hold on a sec! Stephan!" I yelled. He turned around and stuck his head in the window. "What are we doing?" I asked.

"Look, does Trin have her phone on her?" he asked, obviously in a hurry.

"Yea, she always does," I answered him.

"I'm gonna tell her to call you once I get them out of the way, and when she does, I want you to meet them at the destination I give her. It'll be in the middle between the house and here where we are," he replied, talking fast. I nodded. "Once you have them, get out of here as fast as you can, don't wait for me, I won't be far behind you," he said. I nodded.

"Hey, you be careful, okay?" I told him. _Great, friends with a vampire will look awesome on my rep as a hunter,_ I thought to myself. He nodded, and took off, and within seconds, he was nowhere to be seen. I looked around the entire car, but there was no sign of Stephan. "Damn, that little man can run," I said out loud, as I sat back and waited to hear the voice I've been wanting to hear for hours.


	8. The Rescue, Part II

**Chapter 8: The Rescue, Part 2**

Damon's POV~

"Trinity! Trin? Trinity!" I called to her, but to no avail; she wasn't waking up, and something told me I would probably pay dearly for this, thanks to her boyfriend. _Dammit,_ I thought to myself, glaring at the bitch who had killed her.

"Well, she didn't last as long as I thought she would, I thought she might've been stronger...oh well, now onto the real fun," Katharine said, smirking at me. She came up to me, and placed her lips at my ear. "I'm gonna take you so high, you're never gonna come down," she said. I looked at her, and narrowed my eyes.

"Guess what, you can't hurt me anymore than you already have, Katharine," I retorted. The grin disappeared from her features, and she glanced back at Trinity's limp figure, then back at me.

"Don't tell me you'd actually fallen for her...you really have gone soft, haven't you?" she asked, another grin spreading across her face. I ignored her and looked at Trinity. I couldn't be sure, but I think I could see that she was still breathing. But even if she hadn't died yet, she was still losing blood, and she lost more by the second. I knew I had to get her out of here, somehow, but I was kinda tied up here, making it all the more difficult to go _anywhere._

"You know, that hunter of her's, whats-his-name, isn't gonna be happy about this, and he'll end up blaming you and Stephan for sure, so really this is a win-win situation for me," she said, the same grin on her face.

"You can't honestly expect me to believe you were gonna kill Stephan when he got here," I said.

"Not without giving him one last chance to go with me, no, and maybe the satisfaction of seeing his reaction when I kill you right in front of him," she responded. "Either way, I get everything I want," she said.

"Give yourself a pat on the back, and just get it over with," I told her, rolling my eyes. I took another glance at Trinity's body, thinking maybe I'd see more movement from her, but there was still only the lifeless figure hanging there. Katharine caught me staring, and walked up to the body of the girl I had grown to love. She licked at the blood dripping from the multiple wounds, then licked her fingers as she walked away. Then she stopped where she was, and grinned at me before looking back at the body.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"I think I've got the perfect plan for your girl, here," she said, walking in a circle around Trinity. "She'd make one hell of a vampire with that attitude and spunk of hers, don't you think, Damon? You'd never lose her, and neither would hunter-boy, but that might be a conflict of interest," she said. The anger inside me started to boil, and I struggled against the confines, but it wasn't doing any good.

"In case you haven't noticed, she's dead, you can't turn her," I told her, the last of my hope disappearing, leaving a gaping hole in my heart. I was careful not to show what Trinity's death had done to me; Katharine would find some way to make it worse, it was what she was good at. I knew I would be the one to finally end Katharine once I got out, I silently swore to Trinity and to myself that I would somehow avenge her. Katharine continued her circle around Trinity's body, and was grinning.

"Why would you want to turn her anyway? You know she'd remember everything, and she'd probably end up killing you for what you did to her, so what would you get out of it?" I asked her.

"It'd save her life, wouldn't it? well in a way it would; she wouldn't be living, but she'd be walking, talking...bloodthirsty," she said, stopping to look at me. I hissed at her, and struggled once more, the anger inside of me boiling again.

"Get away from her, Katharine," I hissed, unable to hide my rage.

"Oh come now, Damon, you know you've thought about it...the way she'd be, you two could kill the hunter-boy and be together forever," she said, running her hands down my chest. "You know you want it, and you know you know you're tempted to do it yourself," she said. She walked around and stood behind me, her lips at my ear again. "Think about it, Damon, you wouldn't have to worry about her, you wouldn't have to protect her. Of course, on the other hand, she might hate you forever for what she'd become," she whispered.

"As much as I would've loved to, you've killed her, and I _will _be the one who kills you for that, I promise," I threatened.

"Okay, you're obviously not getting it...good thing you're pretty," she said, walking away. I narrowed my eyes.

"Not getting what, what aren't you telling me this time?" I asked, not really sure I wanted to know.

"She's still alive, you dense, she's still breathing," she told me. The tiny shred of hope from before grew slightly larger, and a small ray of light shone through the darkness inside my black heart. Trinity had been the only one who had been able to keep the darkness away.

When Trinity first came into my life, she and I only got off on the right foot because she didn't know I was a vampire. When she learned my secret, she became angry and cold towards me. I played with her, like I played with all my food. I thought I was gonna have to kill her, especially if and when she tried to kill me. After that, she saved my life, which had been a turn around, and something I hadn't expected. After that, it took awhile, but we learned to trust each other again. We became allies and she grew more comfortable around me, and the same for me.

"So...how bout it, Damon? Monster, or dead?" she asked. I looked at her, confused, and then at Trinity, the blood still trickling down her limp body.

"You would let me go...just to turn her? How can I believe you? Especially when its putting your life on the line? Or are you just that confident that she'll forget about you and come after me for turning her?"

"You're running out of time...I suggest you make up your mind," she said, ignoring my questions. I sighed, not sure of what I wanted to do. Of course I wanted her to live, but with everything her body has been through, she probably wouldn't last long, even if I got her out of here. But if I turned her, would she hate me for it? Would she forgive me, and let me help her through the transition? Would she understand? Would she know I did it out of love? And what about her hunter? His reaction would not be pretty at all. He would for sure come after me, whether she was "alive" or not. There were so many options, all with their own ups and downs. All I knew was that I couldn't let her die altogether. Whether she was a vampire or not, at least she would be alive, or at least as close to living as she could get. I bowed my head, having made my choice.

_Trinity, please forgive me for what I'm about to do._

"Do it, I'll turn her," I said, feeling defeated. She laughed, and I knew that now was also my chance. After I turned Trinity, I would kill Katharine for everything she's put me, my brother, and now Trinity through. She was gonna pay for all of it, her life ended tonight.


	9. The Rescue, Part III

**Chapter 9: The Rescue, Part 3**

~Damon's POV~

Katharine crept towards me, and slowly unlocked my shackles. As soon as I was free, I made my way over to Trinity's limp body, kinda glad she was unconscious for this. Katharine slowly followed me, not trusting that I would actually go through with it. Once I got closer, I stroked her cheek, and laid my hand gently on her shoulder. "Please forgive me for what I'm about to do," I whispered. I gently wiped her hair out of the way, exposing her neck. I could feel my fangs creep out from my jaws, and prepared to turn the girl I loved into a monster. I'd done this with Vicki Donovan, but that had been for fun and out of hatred for my brother...this time was different, I actually loved this girl. Its been 145 years since I loved anyone. The girl I had loved, I no longer knew, she was a manipulative bitch, and a monster. I took a final breath and went in for the bite.

"Damon, NO! Don't!" Stephan's voice rang out, coming from the far door. I stopped where I was, and looked to see my brother, a horrified look on his face. I turned to Katharine, my fangs still out, and leapt onto her, pinning her to the ground. Turning back to Stephan, I nodded. He ran up to Trinity's lifeless body and turned back to me.

"Relax bro, you stopped me right on time...why don't you take over, I'll get her out of here," I told him, forcing the fangs back. After a minute, he nodded, and took my place pinning Katharine to the ground. He placed his hands roughly on her wrists to keep her down, and she grinned.

"If this was what you wanted, all you had to do was ask," she said. We both glared at her, and I walked away. I unlocked Trinity's shackles, ignoring the blood on her skin, and gathered her into my arms.

"Damon, Trinity has a cell phone on her. I want you to call Dean, and tell him to meet you at this address, its not far from here. Then you guys get out of here," he said, handing me a small piece of paper. I nodded, not used to taking orders from my younger brother, but not saying anything since this was obviously not the time. I looked at it, and walked out the door Stephan had come in. I laid Trinity down, and looked at the crumpled piece of paper. Stephan was right, the address wasn't far from here.

~Dean's POV~

_Dammit, what's taking so long?_ I thought to myself, checking my watch. It'd been about three hours since Stephan left, and I was starting to get antsy. The anxiety was growing worse too. Suddenly the phone rang, making me jump.

"Hello? Trinity?...Damon?...is she alright?...that bitch, alright I'm on my way, don't leave her alone for a second, do you hear me?" I slammed the phone shut, and took off down the road. About thirty minutes later, I slammed on the brakes, and jumped out of the car, not bothering to turn off the engine. Damon was standing there with the door opened, and I ran in. there was a girl on a cot, and I could barely make out that it was Trinity laying there. She was pale, and she was covered in blood. I ran to her side, and stuck two fingers to her throat, checking for a pulse. It was there, but very faint. I glared icily at the vampire standing there, wishing looks could kill. I rushed him, and shoved him against the wall.

"What the hell happened? What did she do to Trinity, cause that's what she's gonna look like when I'm done with her!" I threatened him.

"Easy, Dean, Stephan's got Katharine, he'll take care of her! I would've stayed to help, but I care more about Trinity than I ever will about Katharine," he said. I turned to look at him, and there was pure concern in his eyes as he looked at Trinity. The anger was going down, and I pinched the bridge of my nose, thinking about our next move. "What can we do?" I asked. Damon shook his head.

"Nothing you're gonna like," he replied.

"What?" I asked, desperate to try anything.

"I have to give her some of my blood, it's all she needs. There aren't any broken bones, she's just lost a lot of blood, so if I give her enough of mine, it should do the trick," he said. I stared at Trinity's body, the tiny rise and fall of her chest. She was running out of time, I could tell that much, and we were hours from anything.

"Will it turn her?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No, I'd have to kill her, then give her some more, then she'd have to feed to fully turn, but no. This will be like jumping a car battery. In other words, giving her my blood will give her enough to go on living without all the vampire side effects," he explained. I nodded. Unable to see any other option, I nodded at him.

"Do it, give it to her," I told him. He nodded, and pulled his sleeve up, exposing his forearm. He bit into it, and put it to her lips, and after a few seconds, she responded. She grasped his arm, and drank from the hole in his arm. Damon's jaw clenched after awhile, and gently tugged on his arm. It'd been awhile, I was starting to wonder if he'd let her take it all, and couldn't help but let a small grin cross my face. She let go, and her body went limp again. I looked at Damon, worriedly, and I could feel my eyes grow wide. His eyes were wider too, and he placed two fingers at her throat, then relaxed. He nodded at me, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Her pulse is stronger now, its practically racing, she'll be okay now. She just needs her rest, and lots of it," he said, getting up off his knees. I took his place, and took her hand into mine, and squeezed it, and stroked her forehead. I could feel Damon's eyes on me. He walked out the door, and reappeared a few minutes later with Stephan in tow.

"Is she alright?" he asked, walking up to us. I nodded.

"Just resting now," I responded, looking from him to Damon, then stood up. "Damon, I uhhh...I never thanked you or Stephan...you two saved her life when I couldn't. You both risked your lives to save her, and I couldn't...i couldn't be more grateful," I told them, offering them my hand. Damon looked at me, and took my hand in a firm grasp, making me flinch. I got my hand back, shook it, and flexed my fingers. "Tight grip, dude," I muttered. Stephan's grip was still firm, but not as tight. "So what now?" I asked them, looking between the two of them.

"Oh, I should call Elena, to give her an update," Stephan said, pulling out his cell. He stepped outside, and it was me and Damon again. I noticed Damon watching Trinity behind me, and turned around to watch her, too. I couldn't believe how beautiful she still was. Even after all she'd been through, she still looked so peaceful.

"Can we move her by chance, maybe to Elena's or your mansion? Its gotta be more comfortable than a slab in an abandoned broken-down house in the middle of nowhere," I pointed out. Damon nodded, thoughtfully.

"Let me ask Captain America out here," he said, and stuck his head out the door for a minute.

"Trinity, I'm so glad you're okay," I whispered, then kissed her forehead. Damon came walking up to us, and nodded.

"He said we could move her, but that we should drive carefully so as to not wake her up, she still needs a lot of rest," he said. I nodded.

"I'll drive, you can sit in the back with her," I told him. He nodded, and turned to walk out the door. Stephan walked in, and Damon brushed past him. Stephan stared after his brother with a worried expression on his features. I walked up to him with Trinity in my arms. "What's with him?" I asked, curiously.

"I don't know," he replied, and followed his brother out the door. I followed them out, and Damon was waiting in the back seat of the Impala. I opened the back door, and laid Trinity down, gently, her head resting in Damon's lap, and closed the door. Climbing into the driver's seat, I looked in the rear view mirror, and saw him stroke her forehead. None of us said anything on the way back; all of us too distracted by our thoughts. When we arrived at the Salvatore mansion, Elena ran out and threw herself into Stephan's arms.

"How is she?" I heard her ask. She was flanked by a short brunette, and a tall blonde. She called them Bonnie and Caroline. I remembered these two from Stephan's mentioning them only hours earlier. Damon carried Trinity into the mansion with me and Stephan in tow, followed by the girls behind us. He laid her down in the parlor, and covered her with a blanket. We left her alone, but took shifts watching her, me and Damon each getting a longer shift than the others. I ended up falling asleep bedside, and Damon in a chair across from us. The rest of them either took bedrooms or were scattered throughout the parlor.

It seemed that we all loved Trinity, in our own way. But I could tell that she meant a lot to Damon, that he had feelings for her. What surprised me was that I couldn't find the anger or jealousy I thought I should feel. Truth is, I understood what he felt. I feel it all the time.


	10. The Realization

**Chapter 10: The Realization**

~Trinity's POV~

_ Was I dead? In hell? I could still feel the knife against my skin as Katharine continued to slice into me. I knew it wouldn't be long til I died of blood loss, if I hadn't died yet, but would I still feel the pain? I'd heard that you lose all feeling everywhere when you die, but is it true? I struggled against the pain, and I could hear all kinds of voices screaming out to me to wake up. I didn't wanna wake up, I was scared of what I'd wake up to...what if I was in hell? Or what if I woke up and there was nothing but a black void that I would be forced into? What if there was nothing there at all? Am I alone? I felt terrified to do anything, besides just lay there._

_ "_She's calmed down," I heard, and it was clearer this time, like it was right beside me. I moved my hand, and felt something warm move in response.

"Her breathing has returned to normal...what's going on? Is she dreaming?" a female voice asked.

"I don't know, maybe," a different voice answered. I moved my hand again, and I received the same response. I found I could move my head, and my legs, and my arms. Nothing hurt, at least not as much as it had before. Katharine had disappeared, and I was alone in the darkness. I wanted to scream out, but couldn't find my voice. What if nothing came out?

"Damon...Dean, are you guys out here somewhere? I'm lost, I don't know where I am...please...somebody, anybody, help me find my way," I found myself saying. I heard feet shuffling. Something grabbed my hand, softly, and held it in theirs. I knew all I had to do was open my eyes, but I was still afraid of what I'd find if I did. _The only way to find out is to do it, _I convinced myself. I squeezed my eyes shut, and then tried it. At first everything was blurry, and I couldn't really see anything...except a really bright light. I recoiled at the light, and blinked my eyes closed. I heard a voice that was angry.

"You said there wouldn't be any side effects to the blood you gave her," it said.

"Dean, she's been asleep for forty-eight hours, she's gonna recoil from the sunlight, its normal, every human does it when they get used to the darkness for a certain amount of time. Elena, can you close the blinds?" a softer voice asked, quietly. I could tell the blinds had been closed, because it grew darker. I tried again, and it was easier this time. I opened them fully, and slowly looked around the room, expecting to see Katharine and..._Damon. _

"Damon!" I called, and found myself sitting up on a bed. Damon rushed to me, relief and concern on his features. He knelt down in front of me, and took my hands into his.

"I'm right here, shhh, I'm right here," he said, softly.

"Katharine-"

"is gone, its over," he said. I threw my arms around his neck, and laid my head on his shoulder, when I realized we weren't alone. I looked around, and saw Dean, Stephan, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline all standing in the room, all wearing relieved expressions on their faces. Damon gently leaned back, and took my face in his hands.

"You've been out for almost two days, pretty much," Stephan said from the corner. I rubbed my eyes, some things still blurry.

"Trinity," called a voice I'd thought I'd never hear again. I looked up, and saw Dean in front of me. I stood with help from Damon, and fell into Dean's arms.

"Guess I have to work on the mechanics," I said, sarcastically. He laughed, and took me into his arms, holding me tightly against his body. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and closed my eyes as I took in his scent, the best scent in the world. I held his head to my shoulder, and whispered, "I love you," in his ear. He clutched me tighter.

"Dean, can't breathe," I said, even though I was enjoying this. He let go, but kept my hand. "Alright, who wants it next?" I asked. Elena was next; she came to me, and gripped me tightly.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I nodded, and wrapped my arms around her tiny waist.

"I'm okay," I said, and I could feel the tears trying to escape their ducts. Then Bonnie and Caroline were next, and they smiled at each other when they backed up. Then it was Stephan's turn, and he smiled as he clutched me into a bear hug.

"Thank you, Stephan, I know you helped to save me, I'll never forget it," I said as I backed up. I looked around, but Damon had disappeared. I found him out on the porch, looking out at the pink sky as the sun rose.

"Guess its my turn for the Hallmark moment," he said when I approached him. I chuckled, and walked closer to him. He didn't turn to face me when I was right there. Only when I laid my hand on his shoulder, and rubbed across his back did he turn to face me. I wrapped both arms around his neck, connecting at the back, and joined my lips with his. He didn't pull away. In fact, both of his hands were on my hips in a tender grip when I pulled back.

"Damn, I should rescue you more often," he said, a grin spreading across his face. I chuckled at his comment, and looked up into his eyes.

"Damon, I never died, I know everything that happened. I know what you almost did, and I know that it was you that pulled me out of there, I know that you gave me some of your blood...and I know that it had been your lap that I was laying in in the Impala, which means I know it was you that carried me upstairs. You saved my life, Damon, and not once did you give in to your vampire; you didn't turn me, and I knew you didn't want to or you would have. Do you know what all of this tells me?" I asked him. He shook his head, and I shook my head, chuckling.

"It tells me that you were telling the truth when you told me you had feelings for me. I know that none of that could've been easy on you, but you did it, Damon. In fact, I do have something to tell you, something that I was going to tell you earlier, but we obviously got...distracted as you can tell. Damon, you told me that you had feelings for me, and at the time I didn't believe you, I thought you had been trying to come between me and Dean. And I know that I told you that it'd always be Dean...i can't deny that there's something similar between you and me. I also have feelings for you, Damon, and I've been waiting for hours for the chance to tell you that I feel the same way. The only problem is..." I said, sighing. He closed his eyes, and bowed his head. "Damon?" I asked.

"I know, its okay. I know you still love Dean, I didn't want you to choose between the two of us because I figured it'd be Dean. Hell, we did that with Katharine, and look how that turned out," he said, looking to the horizon before continuing, "I just wanted to let you know that you always have that other option," he said. I stroked his cheek, and he took my hand, and held it to his chest. "I guess you guys will be leaving soon, huh?" he asked, a hint of sadness in his voice. Sighing, I nodded.

"Dean loves the open road...he loves that Impala; its his baby," I said, smiling and rolling my eyes. Hearing footsteps behind me, I felt a shiver run down my spine. Damon stood up, and stepped in front of me, protectively. Dean peered around the corner, and spotted Damon in front of me in a protective stance. He raised his hands in a defensive position.

"Relax, its just me," he said, lowering his hands back down to his sides, and came closer. Damon excused himself, and walked inside. Dean laid his hand on my shoulder, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Hey," he said.

"Hey, how are you? I was a little worried about you," I told him. He gave me a look, and smiled.

"You were worried about me? I wasn't the one who was captured and almost killed by a psychotic vampire," he said. I chuckled, and looked out at the horizon.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I took a deep breath, and looked at him, those green eyes almost blue in the sunset.

"Yea, I'm okay, just tired," I replied. He nodded, and the small grin disappeared. "Dean, I know what you're thinking, what happened wasn't your fault," I said, taking his hand into mine. He looked into my eyes, and it broke my heart to see the pain in his eyes, that I had to look away.

"I almost lost you, I thought I had," he said, the sadness in his voice overwhelming. I bowed my head, and looked down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I told him. He took me in his arms, and held me tightly. For the first time in two days, I felt safe. A part of me wanted to leave as soon as possible, but I had friends here. Friends who I cared about, friends who cared about me. I leaned back to look into his eyes, and smiled.

"When do we leave?" I asked him. He looked over my head, and then back down at me, and sighed.

"We have some time; we can hang out here til we have a new case, so I can get to know your friends better, as long as its not like meeting the parents...I don't do parents," he said, and grinned. I shook my head and laughed, and took his hand to lead him back inside.


	11. Thinking of the Past

**Chapter 11: Thinking of the Past**

**[the Present]**

**~Dean's POV~**

"Oh, I remember all that," I said, all the memories coming back at once. I walked away from her, and stood against the desk again, my arms crossed over my chest. "I'd thought I'd lost you forever, and then I couldn't even help save you; that was the worst part of it," I said, not looking Trinity in the eye.I smiled, and bowed my head. She came over and wrapped her arms around my neck, and I looked into her baby blues.

"But you did help save me, you have no idea how hard it was to give up with you in my head," she said, smiling. I chuckled, and looked at her, confused.

"I was in your head?" I asked.

"Yep, you were literally screaming at me not to let go, to hold on til you got to me, so I did...that's not all you did...I just imagined that I was with you, that you were holding me in these arms of yours, and I'd never felt safer, more alive," she said. I couldn't help but wrap her up in these arms of mine, and hold her. Just having her here distracted me from all the evil out in the world, the evil I had started out hunting with just Sammy and Dad. But now I had Trinity, and I didn't wanna ever be without her again. She laid her head against my shoulder, and I held her for a minute, not wanting to ever let go.

"I never thanked you for that, did I?" she asked after a minute of silence. I chuckled, and shook my head.

"No, but its fine, I know," I replied, because I did know. I knew what she was feeling, it was always written on her face. She was an open book to me, that was one of the things I liked about her. She laughed, but stayed as she was. I felt her tense up.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Dean..." she said, standing up, but not looking me in the eye. She had this worried expression on her face. She finally looked at me, but still didn't say anything.

"Trin, what is it?" I asked her again.

"You know how I feel right? About you?" she asked in a worried tone.

"What do you mean?" I asked her, confused.

"Well, after we left, you looked angry," she said, bowing her head. I thought back in my head, and realized she wasn't wrong.

"Well, I just saw how you were with that Damon guy, and I wasn't sure why you were coming with me," I replied. She flinched, and I could tell she knew I had figured it out.

"Dean, I'm sorry, I...I don't know what to say, except that I don't love Damon. I love you, and I always have, even then when I was standing there with Damon. Not once did I ever question my feelings for you, and I'm sorry if I made you feel like you did, I know that was my fault," she replied, sadly. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again. I wanted to close the distance between us, I hated that she was out of my reach. I walked up to her, and enclosed her in a tight bear hug, which she responded to, relieved.

"It's okay, we're good...after I saw that you were still happy with me, I left it alone," I told her. She leaned back to look at me, a smile on her face. She stood on her toes, and pressed her lips to mine.

~Trinity's POV~

I loved it when his hands were on my back, I always felt secure, like I was the safest person on the planet. All I knew was that I wanted him and only him. His lips left mine, and moved to my jawline, then to my neck. I ran my fingers through his hair, and felt a shiver run down my spine as his lips pressed against my collarbone. I pushed him to the edge of the bed, and wrapped my legs around his waist, then claimed his lips, the desire pulsing through my body. He removed his shirt, and I couldn't help but gaze at his chest for a second. I grabbed at his back as his lips pressed against my collarbone again. Before I knew it, we were laying there, and we were the only ones on the planet, soon to be enveloped in the darkness of desire.


	12. On the Road Again

**Chapter 12: On the Road Again**

~Trinity's POV~

_That was the best night ever,_ I thought to myself as I awoke to a room filled with sunlight. I felt a tug on my arm, and looked to see my fingers linked with Dean's. I turned over to see the most beautiful green eyes I'd ever seen looking back at me.

"Good morning, starshine," I said, smiling. I stroked his cheek, and laid my head on his shoulder, and sighed.

"Morning, beautiful," he replied, making my heart skip a beat. He wrapped his strong arms around me, and I again felt like I was the safest person on the planet. I traced the lines on his chest, and he shivered.

"You gave me chills," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"So, what's the plan for today? Are we on the road to Mystic Falls today?" I asked him, curiously.

"Yea, another road trip," he replied, sighing, and stuck an arm behind his head. He didn't sound very happy about it, and I could tell it was the destination he was dreading.

"Dean, we could avoid this case, you know? I'm sure whoever it is, Damon and Stephan can handle it," I told him. He looked at me, his eyes piercing, making me flush.

"You really don't wanna have to face them, do you?" he asked, smiling. I hesitated, and traced the lines along his chest again.

"No, its just...we really don't know whether it was Damon, should we really go start trouble where we don't have to?" I asked him. I could hear the pleading in my own voice, and I knew he could, too. He sighed, and stared at the ceiling.

"Dean, it's okay, we'll go, it would be nice to see them again," I replied, thinking of Elena and the rest of them. I was really excited to see them again, and maybe this time, we wouldn't have so much tension between Dean and the boys. We laid there for awhile longer, and got up to get ready. Dean took a shower first, and I looked through the directory for a restaurant. There was a IHOP right outside the city where we were headed. Dean walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, and it took me a minute to remember how to breathe. I could only imagine what was under the towel, but it was enough to take my breath away. He caught me staring, and smiled at my reaction.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" I asked him, teasingly, my eyes narrowed.

"Maybe... I wanted to see how you'd react," he said, smirking. I laughed, and brushed past him into the bathroom. I closed the door to a crack, and turned on the water, adjusting it to the perfect temperature. After two minutes of standing under the water, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I turned around to see Dean climbing into the shower. I smiled, and gasped.

"Are you dirty again?" I asked, flirting with him.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm always dirty," he said, causing me to giggle. He pushed me up against the wall, and claimed my lips, passion vibrating throughout his body. It wasn't long til I surrendered to him.

"Dean, we have to get out of here sometime, you know," I told him, even though I didn't want to move from that spot. We got out, and each grabbed a towel. I could feel his eyes on me when I dropped the towel to get dressed. Finally, we were ready to walk out the door. Dean packed the trunk of the Impala while I checked us out of the motel. I walked outside to find Dean ready to go, the car's engine purring under the hood of his beloved Impala. We took off down the road towards the IHOP I had found in the motel directory.

Dean ordered eggs, bacon, and black coffee. I did the same, and we waited for the food to come. We were sitting with a window view of the highway, and I could tell it would take awhile when I noticed a traffic jam up ahead. I rolled my eyes, and sighed.

"Something bothering you?" Dean asked, catching my attention. I shook my head.

"Just the way people drive these days, like its the end of the world," I said.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused. I pointed at the long line of stopped cars on the highway, and Dean rolled his eyes, and sighed.

"Crazy, isn't it?" I asked him, nodding. He nodded, his lips pursed together. "It's gonna be a long ride," I said, sighing. Dean nodded, and took another drink of his coffee.

"So, you never told me about Elena's background," Dean said, his brows knitted together. I shrugged.

"There's not much to tell, Elena's past is kinda dark, and she doesn't like to talk about it," I responded. Dean looked at me, his eyes piercing, like he was trying to look into my heart or something.

"Meaning? Don't tell me she's a witch...you guys let werewolves into your club, or humans?" he asked, sarcastically. I smirked at him.

"I _meant_ Elena's parents died in a car wreck not long before the Salvatore brothers came back to Mystic Falls," I told him, frowning. Dean looked confused.

"Came back? Where did they go?" he asked.

"Nobody knows, they just left," I responded. The waitress came back with the food, so we sat back in our seats, out of the way.

"Are they sure it was a car wreck that killed her parents? What if it was something else?" Dean asked, rolling out his napkin and placing it next to his plate.

"No, it was a car wreck, they found the car totalled in the river just outside of town; Elena and her brother, Jeremy, were the only survivors...that's all I know," I said, placing my napkin in my lap. He nodded, and dug in to his breakfast.

"Do you always look for trouble?" I asked, teasingly. He nodded, taking a bite out of his sausage. I snickered, and dug into my own breakfast. When we finished, Dean paid, and we left.

"How do you know all of this?" Dean asked, halfway down the road. I looked at him, my brows raised.

"You sure are curious today, are you okay?" I asked, pressing my hand to his forehead. He pulled back and out from under my hand.

"You've never told me any of this before," he said. I shrugged, and pushed my hair behind my ear.

"You never asked," I pointed out. "Dean, we've only been there once, and we kinda had a huge situation last time, too big to talk about any of the little stuff," I said. He nodded, and I thought I saw him flinch as he thought about the last time we were there. It made _me _shiver just thinking about how close I had come to death. I could only hope that Stephan had taken care of Katharine..._permanently._ That she was definitely gone this time. After last time, we didn't need another encounter with her.

We passed a sign about eight hours later that said we were only about ten miles out of Mystic Falls, Virginia. I could feel it, things would be different this time, hopefully good different.


	13. Long Time, No See

**Chapter 13: Long Time, No See**

"Oh my gosh, you're back!" Elena gasped as she opened the door. She pulled me in for a hug, wrapping her small arms around me. I smiled, and pulled back to look at her, she hadn't changed much. Her hair was a little lighter, but the same length as it had been the last time I saw her. She turned to Dean, and gave him a small embrace. "Nice to see you again, Dean," she said_. _She turned back to me, and pulled me inside the house. Stephan was inside, and stood when I entered the room.

"Hey, you're back," he said, repeating what Elena had said at the door. He pulled me in for a bear hug, and then shook Dean's hand. He settled down next to Elena, and I next to Dean. We got into what we've been up to in the past two years.

"Well, its been rough for a few months; me and Sammy split up for personal reasons, so its just been me and Trinity ever since," Dean said, looking over at me. "But I actually like it better this way, its easier, and me and Trinity get a chance to be alone together," he said, smiling. Elena looked over at Stephan, and smiled.

"How long you guys here for this time?" she asked. I looked at Dean, and shook my head.

"We don't know, we're here on a case, actually," Dean replied. Stephan's brows furrowed.

"You're here for the attacks, the vampire attacks, aren't you?" he asked, looking at Dean. We nodded, and I bowed my head.

"That's not the only reason we came, I've missed you guys, and I wanted to see you," I said.

"We missed you, we worry about you guys... with what's going on out there, this life can't be easy on you," Elena said. We shrugged.

"It could be worse," Dean said, and smiled at her. "Well, we gotta go, we just wanted to stop in and say...hi. Is there a reasonably priced hotel around?" he asked. Elena grinned, then it disappeared.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked, a hint of humor in her voice. Me and Dean exchanged looks, and then looked back up at her.

"No, actually," I said.

"You two can stay here, there's plenty of room, free breakfast," Elena said, looking at Dean. I could tell she knew his love for food. I chuckled, and shook my head, not surprised. Dean looked at me, and shrugged, but I could see that he wanted to stay here. I narrowed my eyes at him, and smiled at Elena.

"Okay, we'll stay here," I responded. She smiled, and Stephan followed Dean outside to get the bags. Soon after we got settled, we were sitting in the kitchen, me and Elena working on dinner. Stephan and Dean were sitting at the dining room table, talking.

"So, you guys came back for the vampire attacks?" Elena asked, washing the lettuce in the sink. She laid the head down in the bottom, and turned on the water, and turned the head over in her hands.

"Yea, but I told you, that's not the only reason I came back, I really did miss you guys," I said. She shook her head, and smiled at me.

"That's not what I meant...you do know who's behind these attacks, right?" she asked. I looked at her, and cocked my head to the side.

"No...please, please, _please_ tell me it's not Damon," I said, squeezing my eyes shut.

"No, its not Damon, its...random," she said. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God, I knew it wasn't Damon, at least I prayed that it wasn't," I told Elena. She rolled her eyes, and turned back to the sink. She was very tense, and I could tell that her attitude had changed when I mentioned Damon.

"Elena, what's going on? Everything okay?" I asked. She turned back to me, wiping her hands on the dish towel. She sighed, and shook her head.

"Damon and I have been in a...bad place, lately," she said. I looked at her confused. "He's going through something, but he won't tell anybody what it is, which means we can't help him out of it," she explained. I nodded.

"Maybe he'll talk to me, I'll head over there tomorrow, and see what's going on with him," I told her, thinking maybe it had something to do with me. After that, we ate dinner.

"Dude, I am so moving in, Elena, you make a mean bacon cheeseburger!" Dean said, scarfing it down. I laughed at him, and took a bite of my own.

"You and your bacon cheeseburgers," I said, looking over at him. He shrugged, and took another bite. After talking a bit more and taking care of the dishes, I decided to turn in.

"Alright guys, I'm done, its been a long day," I said, stretching.

"Yea, I should get going, too," Stephan said, rising. He turned to Elena, taking her hand. "Walk me out?" he asked.

She nodded, and they headed for the door, while Dean and I headed for the stairs. I watched Dean climb the stairs, exhaustedly. After both of us were changed, we climbed under the crisp sheets of a nice, warm bed. Dean held me in his arms, but his eyes were wide open.

"Dean?" I asked, noticing he'd looked more tired on the stairs than he did now.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"Yea, just...thinking," he replied. I sat up to look at him.

"What about?" I asked. He turned his head, and I gazed into his eyes, his emerald green sparkling from the moonlight coming in through the window.

"About Stephan and Elena's relationship, and how hard it must be for her to be with him," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, smiling.

"Knowing what he is, and how she's still able to love him, even with everything he's done...it can't be easy for her...she must know that she has other options, right? I know she loves him, but does she know that he would want her to be happy in a normal relationship where she wouldn't have to worry about anything dangerous coming for her?" he asked, staring up at the ceiling. I had a sneaking suspicion we weren't talking about Elena and Stephan anymore.

"What if that doesn't matter to her, you know, what if she wants to be with him, because that's the only person she can see herself with? She's happy with him, and she feels she can't love anybody else," I replied, playing his game. He looked at me, and I smiled at him.

"You know I'm not talking about Elena and Stephan, don't you?" he asked, seeing through my disguise.

"I know...but I do love you, Dean, and I can't see myself with anybody else," I told him, stroking his face. I bent down to kiss him. His lips molded perfectly with mine, and were full of desire, as they always were. I pulled back, and laid my head on his shoulder, feeling safe and loved as I fell into the darkness.


	14. Vamps, Vamps, and More Vamps

**Chapter 14: Vamps, Vamps, and More Vamps**

"Morning, Elena," I said, coming down the stairs, Dean in tow. Elena smiled when she saw us.

"Hey, we're all in the living room," she said, leading us there. When we walked in, I stopped in my tracks, as I spotted Damon sitting in the love seat across from Stephan and Elena.

"Well...look what the cat dragged in," Damon said, smirking. I smiled at him.

"Hey, Damon, how's it going?" I asked him, casually. Still smirking, he shrugged.

"Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that...just another day in paradise," he said to me, before turning to Dean. He used his vampire speed, and I was suddenly wedged between him and Dean.

"Dean...it's been awhile, still hunting vampires?" he asked him. Dean nodded, his brows knitted together.

"Yea, why? You're not scared, are you?" Dean asked. I knew he was teasing, but I could still hear a hint of a threat in there.

"No, should I be?"

"Only if you're the one causing all the murders around here, lately," Dean replied, gently squeezing my shoulders.

"Ooo, Dean's not playing around this time...guess I should watch my neck," he said, before going to sit back down.

"Might be a good idea," Dean replied. I gently elbowed him in the rib for that one, not wanting him to get started with Damon. That was one fight I could live without.

"Boys, boys, let's take a deep breath," I said, intervening, throwing Dean a slight glare. He stuck his arms up in a surrender type way, and crossed his arms over his chest, sighing. I went to sit by him, and I saw Stephan shoot a similar glare at Damon. I looked over at Elena, and she gave me a _see-what-i-mean?_ look. I glanced at Damon.

"Can we talk?" I asked him, standing up. He looked at Elena, then back at me, then stood and followed me outside. He leaned against the railing, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do we have to talk about?" he asked, smirking.

"What's up with you, Damon? What's wrong?" I asked, seriously. He looked at me like I was crazy. "Elena told me you've been going through something, but you're not telling her or your brother...which, in your case, is actually normal," I said.

"There's nothing wrong with me," he replied, his eyes dark and distant. I looked at him, intensely.

"Damon, you know you can talk to me about anything...now, what's going on in that head of yours?" I asked. He sighed, and looked around before his gaze returned to me. I raised my eyebrows, ready for whatever it was.

"Alright...you really wanna know?" he asked. I nodded. "I've been thinking...about you...a lot, actually," he replied. I looked at him, surprised. I hadn't seen that one coming.

"You've been thinking about me? Why?" I asked, confused. He looked at me like I was insane.

"I've missed you, and its driving me insane...and now you're back, but..." he stopped, cutting himself off. He turned away from me, and leaned against the railing. I ran around to where he was facing me. Unable to think of anything else, I wrapped my arms around his neck, and laid my head on his shoulders. It took him a minute, but he finally wrapped his arms around my waist, and held me against his body, tightly.

"I've missed you, too, Damon, more than you know," I responded. I pulled back to look at him, and there wasn't any humor or any sarcasm in his eyes, just pain and a deep longing. "Damon, I was wondering if you'd tell me about the murders, here in Mystic Falls," I said, lightly.

He looked at me, his eyes becoming bitter.

"Is that why you're here? You think I'm behind those attacks?" he said. I shook my head, and pushed my hair behind my ear.

"No, I don't think its you, but I know its a vampire," I told him. He winced, and nodded.

"What is it? What happened?" I asked. He sighed, and looked out at the front drive, bathed in sunlight. For awhile, he didn't say anything, he just stood there. I stood there next to him. It wasn't awkward, standing there with him.

"Its beautiful, isn't it?" he asked after awhile. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him look over at me. I smiled.

"Yea, it is," I said, looking at him.

"I never bother looking at these things anymore, they're always the same. In fact, I just recently started to notice them, first time in a long time...truth is, I used to look at them all the time, back when I was human, at least," he said. I nodded.

"Well, when you're a vampire for 146 years, they can start to look a little bland," I said, chuckling. He laughed, too, and nodded.

"Good point," he replied, then looked at me. I sighed, and my brows furrowed. He saw me, but didn't say anything.

"Damon...I need to know what you know about the vampire attacks...do you know who it is that's doing it? Is it a newborn? Is it a nomad passing through? Is it a friend of yours maybe? Damon, please, if you know anything..." I said, feeling a bit guilty. I hated to ruin the moment, but I needed to know. He shook his head.

"Believe me, you don't wanna know," he said, and turned to walk away. I grabbed his wrist gently, and he stopped where he was. He turned to face me, the pain in his eyes back.

"Damon, just tell me who's committing these murders...please," I pleaded with him. He looked down, and then turned away from me. His shoulders were slouched, and I could tell he was debating with himself whether to tell me. He sighed, and turned back to me. I stood there, looking at him.

"Alright...I'll tell you who it is...IF," he said.

"IF what?" I asked, wondering what he was gonna say.

"If you promise to leave, and not follow through on this hunt," he said, and I could tell he was serious. I looked at him, confused.

"What? There's no way Dean will take that, he'll insist on going after whoever it is," I told him.

"Not if he knows who it is, which is the only reason I'm telling you this; I'm hoping he has enough sense in his head to get you out of here, it'll be safer," he said, and I was officially confused.

"What do you mean? Who is it?" I asked him, starting to get nervous.

"Its Katharine...the attacker is Katharine...she's back," he stated, his eyes dark.


	15. Run or Stay?

**Chapter 15: Run or Stay?**

"Dean, can I talk to you, please?" I asked him, walking into the house. He looked at Damon before standing to follow me out. I took his hand in mine, and he squeezed my hand, gently. We sat on the bench just outside the front door, and I kept Dean's hand in mine. He looked at me, intensely. "I found out who's behind these attacks, and I want to warn you that this will be a high risk mission, and we'll need Stephan and Damon if we're to live through it," I rambled on, nervously.

"Trin...who is it?" he asked.

"It's Katharine, she's behind these attacks, she's the one who's murdering these people," I said, reluctantly. I closed my eyes, and bowed my head, preparing for what I knew was coming. Dean was instantly angry, and I saw a deep hatred in his eyes, but I couldn't tell if it was aimed at me. He stood up, and walked to the railing, crossing his arms over his chest. He turned around to face me, his eyes dark with fury.

"Are you telling me she's not dead? Stephan didn't take her head last time?" he asked, his voice rising. I didn't say anything, partly because I didn't know what to say. He sat back down, and took my hands in his. "I'm sorry, I know its not your fault, its just...now I feel like I'm waiting for her to kidnap you, and put me through hell all over again," he said. I looked at him, sadly.

"I _do_ feel a deja vu here, except this time, we know she's here. The question is, does she know _we're_ here?" I asked. He nodded without looking at me. "What do you wanna do, Dean?" I asked him, directly. He looked out at the Impala, and then his eyes shifted to me.

"I guess I'll be teaming up with the sparklers in there, again," he said, sighing. I chuckled at his reference.

"Wrong movie, Damon would hit you for that," I said, smiling at him. He rolled his eyes at my comment. I took my hand out of his, but laid it on top. "We're gonna survive this, I know it, I can feel it," I told him. He nodded, then looked at me.

"I know one thing, I'm not gonna lose you again... in fact, will you promise me something?" he asked me, turning towards me fully.

"Of course, what is it?" I asked, willing to give him everything.

"Don't leave my sight, whatever you do, just stay with me...will you promise me that?" he asked. I smiled, loving how much he cared, and nodded.

"I promise," I said, looking him in the eye. His hand tightened around mine, and I could feel the warmth flow through him and into me.

Elena and I were in the kitchen preparing dinner, when Elena caught Dean's eye.

"He looks so intense," she said to me, "I'm guessing you told him about Katharine being back in town," she stated. I looked at him over my shoulder, and Elena was right; there he was, his eyes on my every move.

"Yea, I can't keep that kind of thing from Dean, he's very protective over me, even though he knows I'm able to take care of myself," I told her. "But I don't mind, he knows his boundaries and he knows when he's out of control, so..." I said, shrugging.

"He must really love you to watch you like that," Elena said, taking plates down from the cabinet. I nodded, and turned to look at him again. His gaze hadn't left.

"Yea well, I promised not to leave his sight...ever since what happened two years ago, he still blames himself for not being there to stop Katharine from taking me," I said to her.

"He should know that's not his fault, there was nothing he could've done," Elena said.

"I've tried telling him that, but he says it doesn't change the way he feels," I said, and looked over my shoulder to see two piercing green eyes looking back at me.

~Dean's POV~

"You're gonna end up burning a hole in the back of her shirt, you don't stop glaring at her like that," I heard from behind me. I turned to see Stephan looking at me, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Better safe than sorry," I said, taking another swig of beer and turning back to Trinity. He walked up and sat in the chair next to me, placing his elbows on the table in front of him.

"You know about Katharine, don't you?" he asked me.

"Yea, I know, but what I don't know is why you didn't take her out two years ago," I spat, unable to hide my anger. "I don't get it, Stephan, you say you hate the bitch...but when she steals MY girl, one of your supposed good friends, you can't seem to gank her? Did you ever think that maybe she'd try again if she ever got the chance?" I asked him, not caring that the girls were watching from the other room. "Now I have to worry about her getting to Trinity again... the only thing that's keeping me from leaving is that I've never run from a hunt before, and I'm not about to start now," I admitted. Stephan looked at me.

"You don't hunt Katharine," he said so quietly, I barely heard it.

"What?" I asked, anyway.

"You don't hunt Katharine, she hunts you," he said.

"Great, do you at least know what she wants this time, or are we waiting for a note from Countess Bitch?" I asked. He scoffed, and looked up at me, smiling.

"No, no we don't know what she wants this time... it seems like she's here for fun this time," he replied.

"So she's out there killing innocent people, and you two are sitting here on your lofty perch? What the hell are you waiting for?" I asked him, angrily. "You know, I don't understand you, you hate the bitch, but you haven't taken her down yet; she kidnaps one of your friends, almost kills her, and you still don't gank her, she comes back and starts killing people, and you still haven't lifted a finger to help the poor bastards around here," I pointed out. He looked at me, intensely.

"I wish I could, but you have no idea what we're dealing with...you don't know her like I do, you don't know what she's capable of," he said. I sighed.

"Then enlighten me...what are we dealing with? Look, I told Trinity I'd stay and help, but that's only if you guys plan on finally taking her down," I said. With that, I got up and walked away, off to find Damon.


	16. A Night Gone Wrong

**Chapter 16:A Night Gone Wrong**

Dean's POV~

"Damon, we need to talk," I said.

"I sure am popular today, first Trinity, now you," he replied, smirking. I nodded.

"Yea, yea, look I know its Katharine that's committing these murders, and I was wondering what you were planning on doing about it," I told him, cutting to the chase. Still smirking, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"_You_ wanna help _me_ in my plan to stop Katharine once and for all? Why would you want to do that?" he asked. I looked away, suddenly unsure of my desire to work with Damon.

"Look, I get it, you're a vampire and a scumbag, whatever...but, you were willing to risk your life to save Trinity once, a rescue I was just barely able to participate in. Now, if this bitch is after Trinity again, I want in, fully," I said, not taking no for an answer.

"What makes you think she's after Trinity? She doesn't even know you're here, she wouldn't unless..." he said, then his eyes grew wide.

"Unless what?" I asked him.

"Unless you sounded some kind of alarm coming in...she's probably been watching for you, and she knows where you go, Trinity goes...she could know you're here, and now she's just waiting for you to leave Trinity alone, long enough for her to swoop in," he said. My eyes grew wide, and I made a break for the kitchen.

"Trinity!" I yelled, running into the room. Trinity spun around to look at me, her eyes wide.

"Dean, what is it?" she asked me, concerned. Damon was right on my tail, and Stephan came racing in from the other room. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized she was fine, and looked over at Stephan.

"Would Katharine set up an alarm, you know, setting vampires up around the city to watch for me coming into town?" I asked him. He looked at Damon, who smiled at him.

"She could, especially if she knew the attacks would draw you in," he replied, realization flashing across his features. Elena had the same look flash across her face.

"So what does that mean?" she asked, looking between Damon and Stephan.

"It means we're in trouble, especially if we tripped that alarm," I said, looking at Trinity. All the blood had drained from her face, and she wasn't breathing. I took her arm, and sat her down in the parlor.

"Breathe, Trin, its gonna be alright...breathe, breathe," I told her. Finally she let out a couple breaths, and looked over at me.

"Dean, what do we do?" she asked. Elena brought me a cup of water, and stood there. She laid her hand on Trinity's shoulder.

"Trin, its gonna be okay, we're all here with you, okay?" Elena reassured her. Trinity nodded, and sipped the water. She turned to me.

"Dean, I need Damon in here with me, I feel safer with the both of you," she said. I looked at Elena, and she went to the other room. Not long after Elena left, Damon showed up, and took a seat next to Trinity.

"Trinity, don't worry, this time, we're not going anywhere...this ends tonight, I'm putting that bitch out of her misery," he said, snarling.

"Damon, I don't think Katharine's miserable, I don't think you'll be putting her out of her misery, just out of commission," she said, trying to input humor. He ignored it, and took one of her hands in his.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think-"

"This isn't your fault, Damon, its okay" she said, stroking his face. He took her hand in his.

"She won't be making any moves tonight, I'm sure she knows that we've figured it out by now, she's gonna lay low...when we don't see it coming, that's when she likes to move in," he said.

"Which gives us a chance to come up with a plan until she decides to make her move," I said. Trinity nodded, and started breathing normally. Damon got up, and went to the kitchen, reassuring Trinity he'd be back.

~Trinity's POV~

"You know what's crazy about this situation?" Dean asked me, once Damon was out of earshot, or so Dean thought.

"What?" I asked.

"We're trusting a vampire to keep another vampire away from you," he said. I stared at him intensely, trying to figure out how he was feeling. "I'm just saying, you two seem awfully close," he said, standing up. He turned to walk away, but I grabbed his wrist.

"Hey, what do you mean by that? Dean, you're not..." I said, hoping to God he wasn't jealous.

"What, jealous? I don't know, should I be?" he asked, his face intense. I stood up, and tried to take his hand, but he pulled away.

"Dean, you know how I feel about you," I said, the fear in my voice obvious that even I could hear it.

"No...you come find me when you wanna tell me," he said, but before I could say anything, he walked out the door. I could feel my heart speed up, the fear and sadness overwhelming as it returned, washing over me. All of a sudden, I couldn't breathe. I grew dizzy, and sank to my knees, not sure of what to do now. I felt arms around me, and heard Elena's voice.

"What happened? Where's Dean?" she asked.

"He left, he's gone, somebody please go after him...Elena, you have to go after him," I said, still feeling dizzy. She called out for Stephan, and he came in, his brows knitted together.

"What happened?" he asked, getting down on his knees next to us.

"She said that Dean left, she didn't say why," Elena replied. Stephan looked at me.

"Why did he leave?" he asked.

"He's worried about how close me and Damon are, but there's only friendship there...I thought he knew how I felt," I said, the tears surfacing. My heart felt heavy with guilt. Guilt that I hadn't reassured Dean of how I felt about him, guilt that I shared a deep connection with Damon...but mostly feeling guilty that I'd made such a mess with my relationship with Dean. I could only hope that he'd come back. Unless Katharine got to me first.


	17. A Bleeding Heart

**Chapter 17: A Bleeding Heart**

~Trinity's POV~

I laid in bed, alone. I didn't want to get up to face the people downstairs, I didn't want to smile, and say I was okay. Truth was, I would never be okay, not without Dean. I hated myself, I should've reassured him that I only wanted him, that he was the only one for me. I didn't know if he was coming back, he most likely wasn't. Not for me, anyway.

_Was it really over? Would he really leave me behind?_ I asked myself.

God knows, I deserved it. If only I could apologize to him, tell him that I loved him, and only him. After I had gathered enough courage, I called him, but he didn't answer.

"Trinity, you awake?" I heard Damon asking through the door.

"Yea," I answered, reluctantly, not sure I really wanted to see him. He opened the door, and walked in.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked, concern in his eyes. I played with the quilt, avoiding his eyes, knowing I'd break if I looked at him. I shook my head, the sadness coming back. He took my hand, but I pulled away.

"Damon, look, we're friends, that's all we're ever gonna be," I said to him. He nodded.

"That's why he left, isn't it? Because of me, or how close we are?" he asked. Not trusting my voice, I nodded. He bowed his head, and got up.

"Damon, I've already lost Dean, I _cannot_ lose you, too," I said, my voice starting to shake. He looked down at me, and sat back down on the bed, sighing. He stroked my hair, and looked into my eyes. "I do love _him, _though," I added, warily. He nodded, and I saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

"You can never lose me, no matter what," he said, and I could feel that he meant it. "I'll always be here for you," he promised. I pushed my hair out of my face, and looked at him.

"I know that," I said. He stood up, and turned to me, offering me his hand.

"I did come up here for a reason...Elena wants you, downstairs," he said. I hesitated, but took his hand.

I found Elena in the kitchen, facing away from me. When she turned around, her cheeks were puffy, and her eyes were red, and I stopped in my tracks.

"Elena, what's the matter?" I asked, not sure I wanted to hear what she was gonna say.

"It's Dean...he left yesterday. When I left to go after him, I went to the motel, and he'd completely cleared out," she said, all of it spilling out at once. Suddenly, I could feel the blood pulsing through my veins as she told me this. My phone rang then, making me jump. I looked down at the small screen on the front, and saw that it read "DEAN,". I breathed a sigh of relief as I opened the phone, placing it at my ear.

"Dean...is that you?" I asked, a wave of happiness washing over me.

"Its me, look Trinity, I'm so sorry...I, I shouldn't have taken off like that, and I'm on my way back...can we go somewhere to talk? Please?" he begged. I nodded, knowing he couldn't see it, but unable to stop myself.

"Of course we can, I'll be ready when you get here," I said, running up the stairs to my room. I threw on a pair of blue jeans, and a t-shirt, not caring to see if they matched or not. I ran down the stairs, thrusting my arms through the arms of a jacket. Damon caught me coming down the stairs, his eyes wide.

"Where's the fire?" he asked.

"Dean called, he's on his way back, and we're going out to talk," I replied, a grin plastered on my face so big, my cheeks hurt.

"Dean's coming back? You're going out? What about Katharine, you shouldn't leave the house," he warned, his eyes serious.

"I'll be with Dean, so I'll be safe," I replied.

"I'll follow, and don't worry, he'll have no idea...I'm just going in case things get hairy," Damon said, reassuringly. He grabbed his jacket, and a part of me didn't mind that he was coming. He was right, I did still have Katharine out here looking for me, I couldn't forget that. And if things got dangerous, at least Damon would be there to help us if we needed it. In Damon's eyes, it'd only be if _I_ needed it; he was protective over me like that.

Dean arrived about half an hour later, and got out of the car when he saw me come out the front door. He enveloped me in a bear hug, lifting me up where my feet couldn't touch the ground. When he pulled back, his lips claimed mine. His were urgent, but full of desire. The tears had returned, and were flowing down my cheeks, like blood from a wound.

"Oh God, I'm so glad you're back! I thought you hated me, and that you were gone for good," I said. He set me down, and placed both hands on either side of my face.

"I could never hate you; I was angry and confused and jealous...I wasn't thinking straight, and I needed some time to think...all that matters is that I'm back, and we're together," he replied, smiling at me. "I'm just glad you're still safe," he said, his voice full of relief. Elena came out, hugging her jacket around her, and smiled when she saw that Dean was back.

"Welcome back, Dean," she said. Damon came out as well, but stayed on the porch away from me and Dean. I could see from where I was standing that it pained him to see me with Dean. I looked at Dean.

"Give me five minutes, I'll be right back," I said, and ran up the steps to where Damon stood. I took his hand, and led him back inside where I knew we'd be alone. He was shocked to see that I'd come to him, especially with Dean right there.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy? Dean's right there," he said, as we walked in the door. I placed a finger to his lips, and looked up into his eyes.

"Shh, I wanted to do something before I left," I whispered. His brows were knitted together, but he didn't say anything. I stroked his face, and grinned, then pressed my lips to his, and suddenly I knew that this is what we both wanted. As much as I loved Dean, I loved Damon as well, and I couldn't deny it anymore...not to anybody, especially myself.

The question was...which do I choose? Do I stay with Dean, who I've loved since I met him, or do I go with Damon, who I also love, and live my life here in Mystic Falls here with him? It all came down to a choice...


	18. A Difficult Choice

Hey guys,

I was thinking maybe I should insert another twist into the story. This story has been very dramatic, so I thought I'd input some humor into the mix as well.

**Chapter 18: A Difficult Choice**

"Elena...I need help," I said, laying my head on the counter top. I knew this choice was going to be painful, no matter who I chose. I had no idea how I was gonna choose between the two men that I'd come to love. They didn't even know I had this dilemma in my head. She set a cup of coffee in front of me, a look of empathy on her face.

"Just relax, I'm sure you'll make the right choice, depending on what you want," she said, sitting down next to me. I looked at her.

"That's just it, I don't _know_ what I want," I replied, drinking the coffee. "I love Dean, and I always will, but he..." I stopped, not sure I should mention Lisa Braeden, a girl of Dean's past who holds a piece of his heart, like me. "Well, with Dean, its complicated...I just don't know with him, but with Damon..." I said, unable to hide a grin. She saw it, and smiled at me, rolling her eyes.

"What about Damon?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Damon...Damon is just, he makes me feel good; he's always making me laugh, and he's just... perfect," I replied, unable to think of another word.

"You mean besides the fact that he's a vampire, and he could rip your throat out if he wanted to, and he's got a thirst for _human_ blood, and the fact that he's gonna stay the way he is, and you'll grow old...should I continue?" she asked. I looked at her, my brows raised. "Sorry," she said, and sipped her coffee.

"And he loves me,"I said, talking about the both of them. "You've got it easy, you're sure of your feelings for Stephan, and its only Stephan...I've got two Stephans and I can't choose A or B," I rambled. Elena chuckled, and I looked at her. "What's so funny?" I asked. She waved her hand, and sipped her coffee before answering.

"You are aware that Damon can hear every word you say, right?" she asked. _Crap, _I thought to myself, _he's heard everything I've said about him all this time, which means he knows. _Minutes later, Damon came into the kitchen, and smirked at me, his face lit up with happiness.

"Damon, I take it you heard everything," I said, walking up to him. The smirk disappeared, and he looked down at me, looking confused.

"That depends...what is it that you said?" he asked, and I could tell this was a trap, and that he was enjoying this. He'd managed to turn this to his advantage by knowing before Dean, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing. I sighed, and smiled at him.

"Alright, I have something to tell you, something that I know you're gonna like, but I need you to take this seriously...this isn't easy for me, and I need you," I told him, pleading with him. He narrowed his eyes for a second, then the smirk disappeared.

"Okay, if that's what you need...I'll take it seriously," he replied. I gave him a small grin, and took his hand into mine, and led him to the living room. I sat down on the couch, and he sat next to me, sighing. He turned to me, giving me his full attention.

"Damon, yesterday when you came up to my room, I hadn't been sure I'd wanted to see you, considering you'd been the reason Dean left. But, then I realized that I had actually been the reason he'd left. He left because he'd been jealous of our relationship..." I stopped as I approached the hardest part of my confession. His eyebrows raised.

"Wait, he thought you were cheating on him with me?" he asked, and he looked confused.

"Well, something like that...yea, I guess you could put it that way," I said, furrowing my eyebrows. "Anyway, the truth is...the more I thought about it, the more I realized his jealousy was...accurate," I said, guiltily. "Not that I had been cheating, obviously, but that there was something between me and you, something deeper than friendship," I said.

Just then, the door blew open, and Katharine stepped in, a grin on her face.

"How come everytime I come to see my Stephan, I stumble into you two?" she asked. Damon jumped in front of me, protectively.

"Katharine, we've been waiting for you," Stephan said behind me. He'd come out of nowhere. "Damon, get her out of here," he said. Damon started walking backwards, and I managed to keep my breath as steady as I could. We got to the stairs, and Damon turned towards me, and his features were serious.

"Go upstairs, and stay there, I'll be up later on to get you," he said. I nodded.

"Wait, where's Elena?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Don't worry, I heard her run up to her room an hour ago, she's fine...go to her room, and lock the door behind you," he replied. I ran up the stairs, up to Elena's room. I finally arrived, and locked the door behind me, like Damon had ordered me to do. Elena came out of the bathroom, and saw the horrified expression on my face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes growing wide.

"Its Katharine, she's here, and Stephan and Damon are downstairs right now, facing her...she came so unexpectedly," I said. I took out my cellphone, and dialed Dean's number. He answered on the first ring.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Dean, its me...look, Katharine's here, now" I told him, cutting to the chase.

"Dammit, where are you? Are you okay?" he asked, and I could hear noises in the background.

"I'm fine, me and Elena are up in her room, the door is locked...Stephan and Damon are downstairs facing her right now, I'm sure they wouldn't mind the extra hand," I told him.

"I'm on my way, you stay in that room, you hear me? Do not leave, I don't care what you hear," he ordered.

"I promise, you be careful, she's dangerous...I'm sure you remember," I told him, thinking about our last encounter with Katharine.

"I remember...alright, I'm on my way...hey, I love you," he said, and it broke my heart to hear him say it.

"I love you too, more than you'll ever know," I replied. We hung up after that, and Elena flashed a sympathetic look my way.

"I hope they'll be alright down there," I told her, knowing she was worried about Stephan.

"Yea...yea, me too,"she replied. We sat silently beside the bed on the floor, waiting for the noise downstairs to become silence, hoping that our boys would be the last ones standing in the end.


	19. The Heartbreaking Truth

**Chapter 19: The Heartbreaking Truth**

~Dean's POV~

I arrived at Elena's and immediately got a bad feeling once I got out of the car. Even though I wanted to run in, I knew I couldn't without some kind of weapon. I went to the trunk, and grabbed my maschetti, closing the trunk once I had it. My real problem was that I had no idea how many vampires I was actually dealing with. Who knew how many there were in there? _Well, there's only one way to find out, _I thought to myself coming up to the front door. I grabbed the doorknob, and the door opened. I reluctantly walked in, expecting a vamp to jump out at me from the start, but all I saw was a trashed hallway. All furniture had been overturned or ripped to shreds. It'd been a fight,and it looked like fighting vampires at its worst. Suddenly, I was shoved against the wall, hard. Once I got my clarity back, I looked to see what had attacked me.

"Damon! It's me!" I yelled, keeping the maschetti down, but every instinct told me to hack his head off. He backed off, but still glared at me.

"Dean...took your time getting here, where the hell have you been? _Your _girl is upstairs, probably scared to death, and waiting for you _and _me to come and get her, to let her know everything is now okay," he said, moving to the staircase. _Trinity, _I thought as I raced to the stairs behind Damon. He knocked on the door, and called Elena and Trinity's name. Trinity opened the door, and jumped into Damon's arms, then saw me.

"Dean, you're here," she said. I pulled her in for a bear hug, holding her tightly. I backed off to look at her.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. She nodded.

"I'm fine, we're fine...where's Stephan?" she asked, turning towards Damon.

"Downstairs, and by the way, we need to talk," he said to her. She nodded, and turned back to me. I looked over her shoulder, and glared at Damon.

"You're not coming near her, asshat," I said, stepping in front of her, protectively.

"Dean," she protested, but I ignored her.

"You've put her through enough, and I'm taking her out of here, tonight," I told him, hoping she would come with me without protesting.

~Trinity's POV~

"Dean, I can't leave in the middle of the night...I have so much going on here," I told him. He looked at me like I was crazy.

"You don't have anything to do here, but pack...we're leaving in an hour," he said, before walking away. I looked at Damon, and then at Elena, who walked out of the bedroom. She turned to Damon.

"Is Stephan alright?" she asked, her voice hopeful, and her eyes wide. He nodded at her.

"He's fine, he's downstairs, cleaning up...why don't we go down there? More comfortable than hanging up here in the hallway," Damon replied. Elena went down first, he stopped me before I could take a step.

"Uh, you and me really need to talk...about everything," he said. I nodded.

"I know, believe me, I know...but first, I need to talk to Dean," I said, looking down the stairs where Dean had gone.

This was not good. Dean was angry, and he was never easy to negotiate with when he was angry. And the fact that Damon was the real reason I wanted to stay would just piss him off even more would make it even harder. He wouldn't like the fact that I wanted to stay...permanently, that I had chosen Damon over him; he already hated the idea of me being friends with Damon, I could only imagine his reaction when I tell him that I've ended up falling for the vampire himself. This conversation was a disaster waiting to happen, but I know it needed to happen. I looked at Damon, and nodded, telling him I was ready to face Dean.

"You may wanna leave the house for awhile...this is about to get ugly," I told Damon. His brows knitted together.

"How do you mean?" he asked. I shivered as I thought about the long talk I was about to have with Dean, one that was going to end very badly. Damon got the hint, and wrapped his arms around me, tightly. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe and warm.

"You're gonna be fine...he won't hurt you, will he?" he asked, still holding me against him. I looked up at him, and shook my head.

"No, I don't think so, he _will_ be very angry with the both of us...he might grow to hate me," I said, flinching at the thought of Dean hating me.

"Hate you? For what?" he asked, confused.

"For wanting to stay in Mystic Falls...permanently," I told him. He backed up, his arms now holding mine.

"You wanna stay in Mystic Falls? Why?" he asked me, his brows knitted together. I took his hands into mine, and looked him in the eye.

"I've fallen for a vampire...a tall, dark, and handsome vampire," I said, softly. Damon's brows were knitted together, but then he smiled.

"You've fallen for a vampire...do you know how dangerous that is?" he asked me, smirking. I laughed, and pressed my lips to his for a second, before pulling back.

"Okay, I'm going in," I said, headed downstairs where I knew Dean was waiting for me. He was pacing in the parlor when I walked in, and he still didn't look happy. When he saw me, he had a dark look in his eyes, a look I'd never seen before.

"Ready to go?" he asked, straining to sound calmer. "Where is your bag?" he asked, looking around my feet. I sighed, and crossed my arms.

"Dean, I'm not going with you," I said, feeling like I was standing in the midst of a raging storm. He took a step toward me, and I took a step back, too nervous to be next to him.

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked, looking confused and angry at the same time. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my breathing, and failing miserably.

"I'm not leaving Mystic Falls, I'm not leaving with you," I repeated. Several emotions swept across his face, but the sadness that stayed broke my heart. The tears fought their way to the surface. I walked up to him, and took his hands into mine.

"I will always love you, I never lied to you about that, you will always be..." I said, the tears burning my eyes. "But...but I need to stay here, just for a little while, maybe go back to school-"

"Sleep with a vampire," he said, cutting me off. I'd known he was gonna figure it out, but I never thought I'd see the deep sadness in his eyes that I did now. It made my heart ache to see what I doing to him.

"When you left the other night, it gave me time to think, and I realized you were right to leave...and I hate to say it, but maybe this is for the best," I said, bowing my head, not sure of how much more of this I could take. My heart felt like it was gonna burst, and the sadness was overwhelming as well. The tears spilled over, flowing like waterfalls. "Dean...I've never lied to you when it came to how I felt about you...and I never saw this coming...this was never supposed to happen, but somehow it did," I said. He didn't look at me, and he didn't say anything to me. His head was bowed, and he'd backed up a few steps. When I took a step towards him, he put a hand out to stop me, but didn't look at me. I stopped where I was, and closed my eyes, letting a few more tears escape down my cheeks. "Dean, I'm-"

"No, don't...don't say it, don't say you're sorry," he said, his voice shaky. I bowed my head; I couldn't even look at him, I couldn't stand to see the pain in his eyes, knowing I was the cause of it.

"I'm gonna go," he said, and without another word, he left. Elena and Stephan walked in after that, both of them frowning. I looked up at them, and Elena dropped her bag off at the foot of the couch as she came towards me. I held a hand up to stop her, and gave her the best grin I could manage, before turning to go back upstairs.

I closed the bedroom door, and locked it before settling on the edge of the bed, holding the pieces of my heart in my hands. I heard the wind blow, and turned to see Damon standing there, a sympathetic look on his features. He settled in next to me, and took me in his arms, his chin on my head. Wrapping his arms around me, he whispered, "shh, its gonna be okay,", rocking me back and forth, slowly. "I take it, it didn't go so well with Dean," he said, kissing my head. I shook my head, and sniffled, then sat up to look at him.

"No, it was horrible...seeing the sadness in his eyes, and knowing that I was the cause of it-"

"Shh, shh, you were being honest with him," he said, pulling me back against him and into his arms. We didn't say anything after that, he just held me til I stopped crying. Then we laid back in the bed, but he never let go of me. After a while, I felt better, as I lay in his arms, safe and sound. "You asleep?" he asked after a couple hours.

"No...just laying here, thinking..." I replied.

"What about?" he asked, his hand running through my hair.

"Everything...which reminds me; you said we needed to talk, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked, sitting up, all my weight on my elbow. He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again.

"What is it?" I asked, already not liking it.

"Bad news...that can wait til you're ready to hear it," he said, his brows knitted together. I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.

"Go ahead," I said, bracing myself for the worst of it. He sighed, and frowned.

"Are you sure? It's pretty bad," he asked me, a concerned look on his face.

"...yea, I'm sure," I said.

"Katharine escaped...we had her last night, but at the last minute, she turned the tables on us, and was able to get away...we didn't go after her, because we couldn't risk leaving you and Elena here alone," he explained. I wasn't sure how I felt about the news. I laid my head on his shoulder, and he relaxed, wrapping his arms around me tightly. "Don't worry, this will end," he threatened.

"I'm just glad you're okay," I said, and realized how it would've killed me had he not survived, or how worried I would've been had he been injured. He didn't say anything else on the subject, so I assumed that was it.

"There was something else I wanted to talk about, not just Katharine...I've been doing some thinking myself, about you...and me..." he said. I looked up at him, confused. "You said you'd fallen for me, right?" he asked, making me smile. I nodded.

"Well, I was really glad you'd said that, considering..." he said, stopping, his brows knitting together. He looked back up at me. "I'd fallen for you...two years ago," he said.


	20. A Painful Past

**Chapter 20: A Painful Past**

"You fell for me two years ago? That was when-"

"Katharine kidnapped us, yea," he finished for me. I looked at him, surprised.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him.

"Would it have changed anything? Would you have stayed?" he asked, and I knew he had a point.

"I didn't want you to feel like you had to stay, I didn't want you to be torn down the middle, like you've obviously been the past couple of days," he replied. "When you came back, at first I was gonna keep my distance, thinking maybe you'd leave. I tried convincing myself you were of no importance to me to make it easier on us both, but it didn't work. And then I saw you at Elena's, and I knew I could no longer deny that I was in love with you," he said. "This whole time, I've been hiding my feelings from you, thinking maybe it'd grow easier to be around you, even with Dean here, but it never did, because you loved him," he said. "I never imagined this could happen, and now that it has..." he said, stopping. "I am having a few issues with it, though," he said. By this point, he was across the room, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why? What issues? Are you afraid I'll change my mind when Dean does decide to leave town, if he hasn't already?" I asked him. His face grew more concerned.

"Damon...I love you, I wanna stay here with you, but only if you'll have me...or is it the Katharine thing? Are you worried I'll betray you?" I asked. He flinched this time.

"All of it, its all crossed my mind...I've worried about you turning against me, that you'll leave me if I turn my back...I've been hurt so many times, I can't go through it again," he said, a deep longing to finally be loved in his voice. I stroked his face, and grinned at him.

"I wouldn't...I couldn't, not to you," I told him, my voice cracking. A single tear slid down his cheek, and I wiped it away.

All this time, I hadn't known how deeply this Katharine business had affected Damon, how much he had hurt over her over the time she'd been gone. Now that I did, I swore to myself, and to Damon, that I would never hurt him, that I'd never break his heart. I now understood why Damon was the way he was. She'd been haunting him for so long, been the reason for the rift in his relationship with his brother from the beginning. Before Katharine, the brothers had been best friends, but she had used and manipulated them, turning them against each other.

"..so there's really nothing else we can do til she decides to make another move," Damon was saying.

"Huh?" I asked, returning to the present.

"I was just saying that until we find out what exactly Katharine's after, we can't do anything til she decides to make another move," he repeated. "What were you thinking about?" he asked. I could hear the curiosity in his voice.

"Just...what you've been through, what she's put you through over the past 145 years," I told him. He stroked my cheek, and turned my face to where I was looking at him.

"Let's forget about Katharine, she has nothing to do with us," he said, a smile crossing his features. He leaned in to kiss me, and I held my breath, as his lips pressed against mine.


	21. A Rough Reunion

**Chapter 21: A Rough Reunion**

"You and Damon are what?" Elena asked, surprised. She glanced at Stephan, who looked at me with brows furrowed.

"You realize this is Damon we're talking about, right?" he asked, leaning across the counter towards me. I smirked at him.

"Guys, I know what you're thinking, that he's using me, that this will end in me getting hurt, but he loves me, he told me flat out," I told them. They exchanged looks, and both turned back to me.

"Damon doesn't love anyone, he's incapable of it," Stephan said sharply.

"Stephan, he loved Katharine, and you should know why he treats you the way he does...you both know what he's been through...he told me that he's loved me since Katharine kidnapped him and I," I said.

"You mean two years ago? Then why didn't he tell you?" Elena asked me.

"Because he doesn't think it wouldn't have made a difference back then, he didn't want me to be torn between him and Dean," I explained to them, flinching at Dean's name.

"Speaking of, I haven't seen Dean around here, did he..." she asked. I winced, and nodded, confirming.

"Yea, when Stephan and Damon fought Katharine the other night, Dean came to get me...he was angry because I had been so close, and he was gonna take me away from here, but I told him I wasn't leaving...that I was staying permanently. I'm sure he's left town by now," I told them, sadly. I looked at Stephan. "Damon said I could stay at the mansion," I told him. He nodded.

"Yea, that's fine," he said, and grinned. "I'm sorry about Dean," he said, and rubbed his hand up and down my back.

"Yea...me too," I said. Just then, my phone rang, and I was surprised to see it was Dean calling. "It's Dean, excuse me," I said, and they both nodded. I stepped outside the front door, and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

~Dean's POV~

"Hey, it's me," I said.

"Hey, its nice to hear your voice, Dean...I was worried I'd never hear from you again," she replied. I coughed.

"Yea, I needed some serious alone time, you know, to think things through," I told her.

"I understand...this is my fault, after all," she said, and I could hear the sincerity in her voice.

"No, you should do what's best for you...but if its not too much trouble, I'd like to see you before I left town, you know, to say goodbye," I asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"Uh, yea, I'd be happy to see you...in fact, there's something I think we should talk about, could we meet somewhere? I really don't wanna talk over the phone," she asked. I was surprised, but I really wanted to see her.

"Yea, how bout my motel room? Staying at the Rose Motel, could you find it, or..." I asked her, curiously.

"Yea, I know where you are, I've been past it a couple of times...okay, I guess I'll see you there," she said.

"Okay, great," I responded, not sure of what else to say. I closed the phone, wondering if this was a good idea. She obviously loved the vampire, what would seeing me accomplish? Of course, I still loved her, and I knew I always would, despite what went down between us. Hearing her voice brought everything back; the pain, the sting of her betrayal, but for some reason...I couldn't bring myself to hate her. In spite of everything, I knew I never could. My phone went off then, and I answered it, already knowing who it was.

"Yea?" I answered.

"Hey...how'd you know it was me?" she asked, catching me in the act.

"Its something you've picked up, apparently," I told her, chuckling. She chuckled, too.

"I'm actually hungry, do you wanna grab something to eat? I was thinking a local burger joint," she said, knowing how much I loved bacon cheeseburgers.

"Okay, great...I love- I mean, I'll see you there," I corrected myself. She sighed on the other end.

"Yea, see you there," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. The line went dead after that.

Sitting in the Impala not far from Elena's, I could see her on the porch, looking out at the horizon, her long, black hair blowing in the wind. Her brows were furrowed, and she looked sad, and I believed I knew why...because I was feeling the same thing. I turned up the volume on the radio, but was only barely listening to the song as I watched her from afar.

"_This romeo is bleeding_

_But you can't see his blood_

_its nothing but some feelings_

_that this old dog kicked up_

_its been raining since you left me_

_Now I'm drowning in the flood_

_you see I've always been a fighter_

_but without you I give up_

_..._

_And I will love you, baby-Always_

_And I'll be there forever and a day-always_

_I'll be there til the stars don't shine_

_Til the heavens burst and_

_the words don't rhyme_

_And I know when I die, you'll be on my mind_

_And I'll love you-Always_

My phone went off, bringing me out of my reverie.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, its me...I'm on my way," she said. I looked over, and she was no longer standing on the porch. I took off down the road, careful not to let her see me.

"Alright, see you when I see you," I told her, and hung up.


	22. I Miss You

**Chapter 22:I Miss You**

~Dean's POV~

"Hey," Trinity said, as she approached the table and sat down. She was wearing a tight sweater with jeans, and black boots.

"Hey, I already ordered our drinks, I hope that's okay," I said. She nodded, and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Yea, that's fine, you know what I like," she said, smiling. I grinned back at her.

"So...uh...you said you wanted to talk to me about something...what's up?" I asked her. She crossed her arms and leaned across the table towards me.

"I wanted to tell you to be careful, Katharine's still out there, and we don't know where...she might come after you to get to me, and I don't want you getting hurt because of me," she said.

"Wait, the vampires still haven't ganked her yet?" I asked, and leaned back so the waitress could set the drinks down. Trinity smiled at her, and turned back to me.

"Its not as easy as it sounds, Dean, Katharine's old; she was already a vampire in 1864, and this is 2010...who knows how old she really is?" she said, sipping through the straw. I nodded, contemplating the number of ways to finally take this bitch out.

"Did you come here to talk a case?" I asked her, curiously. Her eyes grew wide, but then shrank back to normal size.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, Dean...I just thought you should know, but I do wanna ask a favor, if you don't mind...and do this for me," she said. I tilted my head, and narrowed my eyes, not sure.

"Okay," I said, cautiously.

"Don't go after her alone, take someone with you...she's more dangerous than you know," she asked, sweetly. She reached for her bag, and looked through it, and pulled something out. It was a small black bracelet, with something on it that I couldn't name. It laid in her hand, and she offered it to me. "I want you to wear this the whole time you're here, it'll protect you from a vampire's compulsion, and it can hurt them as well," she said, handing it over to me. I caught a scent coming from the small piece of jewelry she'd given me. I put it to my nose, but I didn't recognize the smell.

"What is this, lavender? You didn't steal this from Elena, did you?" I asked, holding it away from me. She laughed, and shook her head as she gazed at me.

"No, its called vervain, its an herb that's painful to vampires here in Mystic Falls, kinda like acid, it burns their skin," she replied. She took another sip, and slid the glass aside, and looked at me. "Dean...I've been wanting to talk to you for awhile now, I wasn't sure if I could call or not," she said, looking down. Without thinking, I reached for her hands, taking them into mine, and holding them tightly. She looked into my eyes, and there was a sadness there, and I could see guilt as well.

"You can always call me, no matter what...you ever need me, I'm here, I promise," I told her.

"I really am sorry about the other night, I never meant to hurt you...you know that, right?" she asked. I nodded, sighing.

"I know, I just wish we had never come here, messed everything up," I said. The waitress approached us again, and smiled at me.

"Ready to order?" she asked, her notepad and pen already in her hands. Once we ordered, and the waitress left, I couldn't let go of something that was bugging me.

"Does...he know you're here...with me?" I asked her, curiously.

"Who? Damon? Actually, no...I wasn't sure of how he'd react if I'd told him," she admitted, but she didn't look happy at the fact that she was hiding it.

"Why didn't you tell him?" I asked.

"He still feels threatened by you, he's afraid I'll change my mind and leave with you...and personally, I can't blame him, I'm not trusting myself right now, either," she admitted, looking out the window.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"I'm feeling torn, Dean...I tried to forget about you, but I still dream about you, and what we had, and the truth is...I miss you," she said, and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "But, you deserve better than me...I hurt you the other night, and you deserve better than that," she admitted, her voice breaking. I could see what the guilt was doing to her, it was ripping her to pieces. For three days, its been eating away at her, like a disease. I took her hands into mine, and held them tightly, again.

"I've missed you, too," I said, looking into her eyes. She looked up at me, and a tear rolled down her cheek. I took my hand out of hers, and wiped it away, but kept my hand there. She tilted her head, and pressed her hand against mine.

"I never stopped loving you, Dean, I still do," she said. Her phone rang then, making her jump, and she sniffled as she picked it up and looked at it.

"Hello?" she answered. The grin disappeared, and her eyes grew wide, and she looked at me, her face etched in fear. I looked at her confused. "Oh my god, will she be okay? What vampire can attack during the day beside you and Stephan?" she asked, and it gave me a hint as to who she was talking to. I kept my eyes on her, and I could feel my own body growing tense. "Okay...okay, I'm glad she's safe...was the vampire working for Katharine?" she asked. I rolled my eyes at the name, and took a swig of beer. I leaned over, and took my wallet from my pocket. Trinity gathered her things, and stood up. I threw a ten on the table, and we walked out the door. She hung up about two minutes later, the fear still on her face.

"What happened? Everyone okay?" I asked. Her face grew pale, and she looked like she was gonna be sick. I ran around, and gently pulled her into my arms.

"Dean, its Elena..she was attacked by a vampire," she said, looking up at me.

"Who was it? I thought you said only Damon and Stephan could walk around in the daylight because of those rings they wear," I said, confused.

"They're the only ones I know of, maybe the one that did it found a way, or Elena wandered into a dark room or something," she said, the color returning to her face.

"Great, so now there's a vampire with superpowers running around?" I asked her. She shook her head, and pulled away from me, but smiled gratefully.

"I should get back to the mansion, see what's up...um...I'll call you later?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I'm going with you, I can't leave you now that there's a new player in town, especially one that nobody knows about," I said, though there was another reason I didn't want to say goodbye. She nodded, and smiled, and I thought I saw a flash of relief cross her features. We climbed into our cars, and took off down the road, towards the Salvatore Mansion.


	23. She Still Loves You

**Chapter 23: She Still Loves You**

~Trin's POV~

"Oh, thank God, you're back!" Damon said, running to me and pulling me into his arms. He stood back, and held my face in his hands, looking me in the eye. "You alright?" he asked, worriedly. I nodded, worriedly.

"Damon, what happened? How's Elena?" I asked, looking up at him. Dean walked up behind me, glaring at Damon. Damon glared at Dean, then looked down at me, his expression softer.

"She'll be okay, she barely lost any blood...we moved as fast as we could, but not fast enough, and the damn thing was able to get to her...she's resting now," Damon replied, and I could tell he was only focused on me. He looked up at Dean.

"Back again, I see," he said, brushing past me. I was no longer standing between the two of them, which wasn't necessarily a good thing; I was the only person who could keep them from killing each other.

"Well, I wasn't gonna let Trinity come back to a nut house, alone, where everything had gone haywire with you freaks of nature," Dean replied, his voice dripping with venom. "Can't you monsters at least _try_ to keep the other monsters under control? Or is it just too much fun watching them tear this town apart?" he asked, getting in Damon's face.

"Maybe I should just rip your head off now, and offer it to them...it'd be like throwing a steak to a pack of hungry dogs," Damon spat, "nothing they'd love more than the head of a hunter, especially one of the infamous Winchester brothers," he added, smirking. Dean snarled, and I noticed his body shivering with an anger I've never seen before. I moved then, my feet finally able to move. I pressed a hand on both of their chests, and pushed as hard as I could, but it was like trying to separate two territorial bull dogs. Finally, I was able to get between them and whistle, loud enough to sound like a banshee's scream. They both looked at me like they hadn't known I'd been standing there.

"Guys, this is not the time, we've got bigger problems to deal with...you can't hurt each other without hurting me," I said, knowing that would stop them. They backed off, and relaxed. "Thank you...come on, we gotta go check on Elena and Stephan," I said, and took off for the front door.

Running as fast as I could, I was out of breath by the top of the stairs, but I kept going, desperate to reach Elena's side. She was one of my best friends, and she'd done so much for me. I ran into her bedroom, and found her laying on the bed, motionless. Stephan was pacing, and I could tell that he'd been crying when I looked into his eyes. I caught my breath, and stepped lightly inside the room.

"How is she?" I asked, sympathetically, whispering. He nodded, and turned to pace again. I moved towards him, and rubbed his arm gently. "She's gonna be okay, she just needs to rest," I said, and hugged him, tightly. He wrapped me up in a bear hug, his arms tight around me. "She'll be alright," I repeated.

"This wasn't supposed to happen... I swear I'm gonna kill Katharine for this," Stephan said, pulling away from me. He sat on the bed next to her, and took her hand into his. I moved to his side.

"Stephan, she's gonna be okay...and yes, we will get whoever did this to her, I promise you," I said. Dean and Damon walked in then, and Damon had a worried expression on his face. I stood from the bed, and moved over to him, taking his hand. We walked outside, and I shut the door.

"Alright, Damon, I want you to tell me everything that happened while I was gone," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. He sighed, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"I don't really know exactly...I woke up when I heard a noise downstairs. When I got downstairs, somehow a vamp had been invited in, and was bent over Elena. I got him off, and threw him against the wall. Fortunately, the bastard had just started, so he didn't get much blood from her. The bastard came at me, and flung me against the far wall, and then Stephan came in, and staked him, killing him without getting a word out on who he was or what he wanted," he replied. I closed my eyes, and covered my eyes with my hand, exhaling. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here...she was up when I got up this morning, and everything was fine," I said. He shook his head.

"No, there was nothing you could've done...even if you had stayed, you'd probably be laying in a bed just like her," he said, comforting me. He pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on my head.

"I'm just glad you're okay," I said, wrapping my arms around his torso, and laying my head on his chest. He placed a hand under my chin, and pulled my face up to where I was looking at him.

~Dean's POV~

I looked out the window that looked out into the hallway. I could see him holding her, and I could feel the bile rise in my throat. I hated the fact that he was holding her, though I would never allow him the joy of hearing it from me. Stephan sighed behind me, still sitting beside Elena, her hand in his. I turned to him.

"Stephan, I have a question," I said to him. He looked up at me, his brows furrowed. "...Is she happy with him?" I asked him.

"Uh, yea, but I know she feels bad for what happened between the two of you, and I know she misses you. Even though she's happy with Damon, I can always see the pain in her eyes, because she's always thinking of you...she still loves you," he said. I smiled, as I realized that I still loved her. Then something he said hit me.

"Wait...if you see the pain, then that means that Damon can see the pain as well," I pointed out. Stephan nodded.

"Its possible, yes," he said, "but, if it makes you feel better, he cares about her...and he takes care of her," he added. Damon walked in then, and looked at Elena.

"How's she doin?" he asked. Stephan stood up, and moved to the bed.

"No change," he said. Damon turned to me, and I expected some kind of smart-ass remark.

"Trinity asked for you, she's waiting out in the hall," he said, rolling his eyes. I stood up, and walked outside to find her waiting for me.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked her. She stood up, and came up to me.

"Yea...how is she? Any change?" she asked. I shook my head. She sighed, and rubbed her temples, and turned to walk away. After a while, I followed her, and found her outside, looking out at the sunset.

~Trinity's POV~

"You never came back, so I came to check on you," Dean said, walking up to me. I wiped the tear away before he could see it slide down my cheek.

"I'm okay," I said, but I could tell by his expression that he didn't believe me. "It just seems that ever since Katharine set her sights on me, everybody else around here gets hurt...I just wish she'd stop playing with me, and come after me already," I said,the fury and guilt obvious in my voice.

"That's not funny, Trin," Dean said, looking over at me. I looked into his eyes, and I could see something that hadn't been there before: love and pain.

"After everything I've put you through, you're the last person I thought I'd hear that from," I said, surprised. He took my hands into his, and held them tightly, like he had at the restaurant.

"I still love you, Trinity, I'm not gonna let this bitch touch you. Now, if I have to be the one to take her out, I will be, because...I refuse to let anything happen to you...I would die for you," Dean confessed. He bowed his head, a sadness in his eyes. I moved into his arms, and he held me tightly in a bear hug. I breathed in his brown leather jacket, an old familiar scent.

"I still love you, too, Dean...and I can't deny that I haven't thought about you, because I have," I said. I could see the mistake I had made. I cared about Damon, but I didn't love him, not like I loved Dean. I had to tell him, and I knew it'd be hard for both of us, especially him. He didn't deserve this, but I knew that I was not the one for him. But I was very afraid of not knowing how he was gonna react to my news. I leaned back, and bowed my head, sadly.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"How do I tell Damon that its over? I don't wanna hurt him, he hasn't done anything wrong, how do I tell him?" I asked.

"You have to let him down easy, just tell him what you just told me, and it should go over okay," Dean replied. I nodded, and grinned at him, then stood to go back inside. _Might as well get it over with, _I thought to myself, _God forgive me._


	24. Katharine's Prey

**Chapter 24: **

I went back to Elena's room, and asked for Damon. He walked out, a frown on his face. "Hey, how is she? Anything?" I asked. He shook his head.

"She's still asleep," he replied, his brows furrowed.

"Well, she's been through a lot...do we have any idea who did it?" I asked him.

"You're not gonna like it, any of it," he said.

"What?"

"Well...first of all, its definitely Katharine, its too big of a coincidence not to be; secondly, we don't think she's after you this time, although we don't know who the lucky person is this time," he said. I felt a moment of relief that the spotlight was off me, but immediately wished it back. I didn't want an innocent person to get hurt, not as a pawn in Katharine's game, and knowing Katharine, it was something she would do. I looked up at Damon, and remembered why I had come to see him.

"Damon, we need to talk, and I wanna do this before something happens," I said. I took his hand, and led him to a bench not far down the hall. "Damon-"

"Ah, ah, stop right there," he said, "...I know," he said, and grinned a small grin.

"You know? Wait, you know what?" I asked, confused.

"What you wanted to tell me, and its okay, I understand...I always told you that I'd never make it difficult on you," he said, and grinned again. There was no sarcasm in his voice, no humor, he was completely serious.

"Damon...I'm sorry, but I do want you to know, I still care about you," I said, laying my hand over his. He shook his head, and stroked my cheek.

"Hey, I know, I know, its okay," he replied. I took his hand in mine.

"You will always be a part of me," I told him, and he nodded. "Thank you, Damon," I said, smiling at him. He glanced over my shoulder, and saw that Dean was standing there.

"He's lucky," he said. I shook my head, smiling.

"No, I'm the lucky one...God, I must sound like Katharine," I said, embarrassed. His face was serious.

"No, you are nothing like Katharine; she used us, she manipulated us," he said, trying to make me feel better. "You're just confused, it happens to everybody...without knowing it, you've managed to dig yourself into a deep hole, you just have to dig out of it, and I'll be there to help you," he said. I smiled at him.

"So what do we do now?" I asked him, curiously. His face was serious again.

"Well, personally, I'm getting tired of Katharine's constantly interrupting our lives, so I think we should end her...once and for all," he replied. I raised my eyebrows at his idea.

"How are we gonna do that?" I asked, wondering if we could ever really rid this world of the one vampire that destroyed so many lives. Damon walked around me, thinking. "Could we stake her?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"We probably could, but we'd have to get close, but with how strong she is, that won't be easy," he replied.

"I'm guessing we couldn't use vervain," I said. Damon shook his head.

"No she's smart, and it'd take a lot with how old she is," he replied. Dean walked up to us both, holding a long blade in his blade. Damon eyed it, cautiously. I looked at Dean, my brows knitted together.

"Dean, what are you doing?" I asked, wondering why he would bring that thing so close to Damon.

"If you're going after Katharine, I'm going with you, and you're not gonna talk me out of it," he replied, laying it across his shoulder.

"Why do you have it now?" I asked, glancing at Damon, then back at Dean. Dean smirked, and shrugged, obviously enjoying how uncomfortable Damon was around it.

"Can't be too careful," he said, looking at Damon. Damon rolled his eyes, and went back into the bedroom with Stephan and Elena. I smacked Dean's arm, and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Dean, what's the matter with you? Now's not the time to question Damon's loyalty; if we're gonna take down Katharine, we're gonna need to work together," I told him.

"How do you know he won't turn against us? Especially now that you've dumped him for a hunter...something tells me it won't take much to push him over the edge, at least far enough for him to lose it and attack you for it," he replied. I shook my head.

"He won't, I know him...he wouldn't," I replied, but suddenly, I felt a sharp pang of fear as the possibility that Dean could be right crossed my mind. I shook the thought away, knowing it would never happen.

"I'm not taking that chance, I'm gonna be keeping a close eye on him from now on, that's all I'm saying," Dean said, his eyes growing soft as he looked at me. My knees went weak when he looked at me that way. Stephan stuck his head out the door, and caught my attention.

"Hey, Elena's waking up," he called, and opened the door, so we could walk in. Damon glared at Dean, and I knew he'd heard every word Dean had said out in the hall. I sat on the bed next to Stephan, and Elena opened her eyes. She sat up with a jolt, her hand flying to her neck. Stephan gently laid his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.

"Its okay, Elena, you're safe now," he said, and she threw herself into his arms.

"Stephan, the vampire...he said-" she started, but was cut off by Stephan.

"Its okay, you don't have to say anything right now, just calm down," he said, holding her. She collapsed into sobs in his arms, and I looked at Dean and Damon. They both looked serious, but concerned.

Once Elena had calmed down, we gathered around her; me on one side, and Stephan on the other.

"Who was it?" Stephan asked her, softly.

"Seemed to be no one...he moved so fast, I couldn't see him at all, then I felt this pain in my neck...then its all a blur after that, although I do remember him saying something," she said, her brows furrowing. Dean switched his weight from one foot to the other, becoming alert.

"What did he say?" he asked. Elena rubbed the back of her neck, and looked up at him.

"He's after...someone," she replied, glancing at me, then looking down. Dean's brows raised, surprised.

"You wanna elaborate?" he asked. I threw a look his way, and he leaned back against the wall. Damon smirked.

"Can I talk to Dean and Trinity alone, please?" Elena asked, looking at Stephan. He nodded, even though he looked confused. Elena looked at him, and tapped her ear, indicating he could listen in from the outside. Damon and Stephan both stood, and left, Damon closing the door behind him. Elena sighed, and looked at Trinity with a concern in her eyes.

"You may wanna brace yourself for this, you're not gonna like it," she said. I could feel my heart start to race.

"The vampire said that Katharine has plans for the one she's after...big plans...Dean, I know what you do, and I want you to know that even I'll do what I can to help, but even you want to be careful the next couple of days," Elena said. I could tell she was scared to tell us the news, that she was trying to brace herself for any reaction.

"I know she's after somebody, I just don't know who," Dean said. From the look on Elena's face, he could tell she did know.

"But you do...Elena, is it Trinity she's after?" he asked, his eyes turning dark and cold and distant.

"No...no its not Trinity she's after this time...its you, Dean," she replied, looking at Dean, "she wants you."


	25. The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

**Chapter 25:The Hunter Becomes the Hunted**

I looked at Dean, then at Elena in horror. "What does she want with him? She knows he's a hunter...what could she possibly want with Dean?" I asked her.

"She wants to turn him into a vampire, and have a hunter on her side to come after you, Trinity," Elena said, her eyes apologetic. Dean looked confused.

"Even if she did manage to turn me, which she won't, doesn't she know I would never go after Trinity?" Dean asked, like it was obvious. Elena nodded.

"Yea, but Katharine has ways of getting what she wants, sometimes in ways we don't know about, meaning she'll somehow get you to go after her," Stephan said, walking in. Dean looked at Stephan, about to say something, but I touched his arm, telling him it wasn't the time. He gently squeezed my shoulders, and I could tell that he didn't like being on the receiving end of the hunter and the hunted.

"Why did the vamp come after you, Elena? I mean, yea, I care about you, and I'm willing to protect you and everything, but if they want me, wouldn't they have come after Trinity?" he asked.

"She probably didn't wanna risk getting caught, so she went after the one she thought was less guarded, less protected," Damon said from the corner. "Katharine knew we had our eyes on both of the girls, but she also knew we were watching Trinity like a hawk...so, to Katharine, we'd forgotten about Elena," he said, his arms crossed. "But that's obviously not the case," he added, smirking. Dean sighed.

"What is with this vamp chick? Why the interest in Trinity?" Dean asked. I looked at him, and realized he was right.

"Well, she saw how interested Damon was in her, and she gets along with me, I guess that enough for Katharine to take interest in her," Stephan suggested. I nodded, thoughtfully.

"Makes sense actually...I used to date Damon, close friends with Stephan, close friends with Elena...she's got a connection to all three of them," I said, looking up at Dean. "Maybe she thinks of me as a new toy, someone new to play with," I added, shivering. Dean sat down next to me, and took my hand in his.

"All that aside, she can't turn me against Trinity, it won't happen," Dean said, sounding so sure of himself. Damon chuckled.

"Dude, she'll find a way to turn you against her...look at me and Stephan; just by turning us into vampires, she managed to turn us against each other," Damon said. Dean looked at him, confused.

"How'd she do that?" he asked. Stephan shook his head at Damon, but he continued.

"Well, for me, she turned Stephan when it was just supposed to be me...and then Stephan practically shoved a woman down my throat, finishing the transition, and turning me into the vamp I am today. Now for Stephan, I promised him an eternity of misery,"

"And he's delivered," Stephan said, cutting Damon off. Dean stood from the chair he'd been sitting in.

"I need to get some air, this is too much information," he said, and walked out the door, warily. I looked down, guiltily. Damon came and sat by me, taking Dean's place.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice dripping with concern.

"Its just how Katharine thinks she can drag Dean through this, but the funny thing is, I blame myself...he shouldn't be going through this; its bad enough the four of us are stuck in this, and now I've brought Dean into the equation," I said.

"This isn't you, this is pure Katharine, all she brings is misery...like I said, me and Stephan are at each other's throats because of her," he said, no humor in his voice. I looked up at him, and he smiled at me, making me smile back.

"I should probably go look for Dean," I said, standing up.

"Trinity, I'm sorry about this, I wish I had better news for you," Elena said. I sat in the bed, and took her hand.

"Elena, you have nothing to apologize for...none of this is your fault, I want you to lay back and take it easy, we'll be back," I said, smiling at her.

I found Dean outside, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he said, and sighed.

"You okay?" I asked him. He looked me up and down, then back out at the front lawn.

"Yea, I got a evil vampire bitch coming after me to turn me against my girl, and somehow everybody's so sure its gonna work, and to tell you the truth...I'm scared there's a possibility they're right...I'm peachy," he replied, a hint of acid in his voice. I looked down, guiltily.

"Dean, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag you back into this, I never thought Katharine would come after _you,_" I said. He turned to me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and I could feel the electricity between us like we were never apart. His lips were soft as he pressed them against mine. His hand moved from my waist into my hair, and suddenly we were the only two people on the planet. When he let go, he rested his forehead against mine, and I felt his breath on mine. I looked into his eyes, having forgotten how beautiful they are...how handsome he was, and how much I had truly missed him.

"There's no way she can ever turn me against you, okay? I want you to listen to me, Trin, okay?" he asked me. He leaned back, and took my face in his hands. "I would never hurt you...I would die if anything happened to you...I love you," he told me. I took his hands away, but held them in my own.

"I know that Dean...I never doubted you, I trust you, and I love you, too," I told him. He pulled me into his arms, and held me tightly.

"Ahem," Damon coughed, standing behind me. I turned to look into a pair of blue eyes. He tried to act himself, but I could see the pain he was feeling.

"What's up, Damon?" I asked as casually as I could, trying to avoid the pain in his eyes.

"We're putting a plan together, Stephan and I, and thought you two would like to join us," he said, and turned to go back inside. Without thinking, I ran after him, and grabbed his hand in mine.

"Damon, wait," I said, and stopped when he turned to look at me. I bowed my head, guiltily. "Damon...um, I'm sorry you had to see that," I said, not looking in his eyes. He sighed, and nodded, then grinned at me.

"I know I said I understand, and I do... I guess I just didn't know it'd be so difficult seeing you two together...again," he said, a small chuckle escaping. I stroked his cheek.

"It'll get easier on you, I promise...you deserve much better than me, Damon...look what I've put you through," I said. He gave me a small grin, and turned to go back inside. I watched him go inside, feeling sick to my stomach.


	26. The Inner War

**Chapter 26: The Inner War**

~Damon's POV~

I went back inside, and wondered if I could really let her go this time, if I could really find someone. I'd let her go once, but I wasn't sure if I could do it again. I'd wondered if she'd ever come back to Mystic Falls, if I'd ever see her again. And now here she was, and I'd had her...she'd been mine, and I was happy. He came back, and suddenly he's in and I'm out. I felt like a dog that had been sentenced to life in the doghouse. As much as I wanted to blame her, I knew this was his fault. I knew I couldn't give her up without a fight. She always understood that I did what I did for a reason, would she see it that way this time?

"Damon, you coming?" Trinity asked, having caught up to me. I grinned at her, and nodded.

"Yea, I'll be right there, just give me a minute," I said. She had a deep pain in her eyes, and I could tell that she felt limited in what she could do with the hunter around, afraid that it would hurt him if she dare comfort me. I knew I couldn't hold this struggle against her, but I could definitely hold it over him; he was enjoying the fact that he had won Trinity's heart. She walked into the kitchen, and they took their places at the table. Elena was asleep upstairs, so it was just the four of us down here, discussing a plan to finally rid this world of Katharine Pierce. I took my place in the dark corner, crossing my arms over my chest, and glowered at the young hunter just a few feet away. I took part in the planning, but I knew what my real plan was; Katharine wanted the hunter, she would get him. I didn't like him, and I certainly couldn't trust him...he was a hunter, and he hunted vampires like me and my brother. Who knows how long it'd be before he came after us? It would surely be when he was sure Trinity decided never to come back, if she ever did. He could talk her out of coming back, and then coming here to slaughter us both, and enjoying the sight of us killed, knowing that he'd won the war for Trinity's heart, that I would never have the chance to fight for her again. I guess I could look at this plan as a pre-emptive strike. Handing him over to Katharine, letting _her_ kill him, then telling Trinity that I couldn't save him, that I'd moved fast, but not fast enough. Trinity would then join us in the fight against Katherine, her rage fueling her, and Katharine dying at our hand. Trinity would realize that we were meant to be together, that Dean would want her to be happy, even if it was with a vampire. All I wanted was her, I was sure anybody could understand that. Just like back when she understood that I loved Katharine, and I wanted her out of the tomb so that we could be together for eternity. That was until I found out that she'd been out all the time I'd been looking for a way to get in, but that she'd never cared about me.

Trinity was nothing like Katharine, she cared about me, she'd cared about us...til the hunter came back, and changed everything. Changed her. I could still see the fire in her eyes when she looked at me, but she would never do anything with him around.

_All the more reason to get rid of him, _I thought to myself.

"Alright, should we do this the same way we did last time?" Dean asked. I rolled

my eyes, but didn't say a word.

"No, not this time...there's no prisoners," Stephan said.

"None that we know of, doesn't mean there isn't any," Dean replied. I scoffed at his obvious intelligence.

"No, she'd let us know if she had prisoners...that's her favorite part," I said, glowering at him from the shadows of the corner.

"Damon, are you okay?" Trinity asked, her brows knitted together.

"I'm fine, Trin, I'm just standing here...I like the shadows...its like I'm Batman, I'll come flying out of the shadows when it gets dangerous, because you know danger lurkes underneath every rock, or in this case, every chair," I responded, smirking. Trinity giggled at my humor like she always did, but stopped when Dean looked up at her. He then looked at me, ice in his eyes.

"You think this is funny?" he asked me, angrily. I rolled my eyes at him again.

"No," I said, and he turned back. "I think its hilarious that somehow you haven't staked us, yet," I said, and he snarled at me.

"Yea not yet, and if you don't shut your pie hole, I still might," he said, rising from his chair. Trinity stood between us, her hands on our chests, holding us apart. But, being as small as she was, we barely noticed her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stephan race around the table, and grab Trinity from the middle. Then he pressed a hand to my chest, and got in the middle himself.

"Damon, stop it, we need to work together to take out Katharine, and you know it," he said. I kept my eyes on the hunter, and smirked, then turned and headed out the door. I saw from the window Trinity slump in her chair, exhaustedly. Being a human, she felt it wasn't long til me and the hunter finally faced off, and she knew how it would end; she knew neither of us would give up til the other was dead. She looked at Dean, and I thought I saw anger in her eyes. She got up, and headed to the other room, the hunter following her. I turned my head so that I could hear.

"You don't have to do that, you know," she told him. Dean's voice rose, making my skin crawl to hear him speak to her like that. "Do you enjoy pissing Damon off? He will end up killing you if you don't watch it...one of these days, he's gonna snap and rip your throat out, and I won't be strong enough to stop him," she said. I smiled at the thought of it.

"He deserved it, this isn't exactly time for laughter and games...we've got a psycho vamp out there, and now she wants me...not exactly the best time to joke around," Dean replied. Trinity's heart skipped a beat, guiltily, when he mentioned how he was the one that Katharine wanted, and I heard her gasp. I closed my eyes in anger as I realized how that one had made her feel.

"So that's it? You _do _blame me for Katharine coming after you," she said as a statement, not a question. I heard her heart speed up, and I wished I could rip his heart out for saying that to her. _Of course, its not your fault, Trin, he doesn't exactly have to be here, but he is...he got himself involved when he came back, this is his fault, _I thought, wishing she could hear it. I heard her footsteps out of the room, and glanced in through the window. He stood at the island in the middle of the kitchen, his hand in a fist, and his eyes closed. He'd obviously realized what he'd done. I smiled at the fact that I got to pick up the pieces of Trinity that he'd broken inside of her. I relished the fact that she'd come to me for comfort.

"Hey," she said behind me. I turned to face her, and the grin faded as I saw how damaging the hunter's words had been. She took it as an invitation, and ran to me, burying her face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, and held her, not saying a word.


	27. The Final Choice

**Chapter 27: The Final Choice**

~Trinity's POV~

I woke up feeling groggy, and looked out the window to find the sky gray. _Well, today's gonna be a beautiful day, _I thought to myself, sarcastically. I already wasn't feeling like myself, and decided to take a nice relaxing bubble bath to help me forget about what's happened the past couple of days. We'd been here for about a month and a half now, but Damon seemed happy that I was here, and I knew that Elena and Stephan had missed me, too. I hadn't realized how much this place felt like a home to me, and how much I would miss it when I left. Suddenly, the thought of leaving wasn't all that appealing, and I realized that I didn't really _wanna_ leave. Even though we weren't together, I still felt closer to Damon than I did to Dean...but did that mean that I didn't love Dean the way I had when we first arrived here? I did feel like a totally different person since we got here. Damon was warm, and Dean was distant. Could he sense that I had changed as much as I could?

I hadn't realized how long I'd been sitting here til I heard a knock on the door. It cracked open, and Elena poked her head in.

"Hey, you didn't drown, did you?" she asked, jokingly. I smiled, and scooted up, as I could see that I was slipping further down into the tub.

"No, but I might if I slip any further," I said, grinning at her. She chuckled.

"Well, breakfast is ready downstairs, and I wasn't sure if you wanted to know, but Dean's here," she said. I grinned at her, gratefully.

"Thank you, Elena, are you sure you're okay to be moving around? You should take it easy," I told her, concerned. She smiled.

"I'm fine, I've been resting for three days so I'm good, but thank you," she said, sweetly. I stood up out of the tub, knowing I couldn't sit there, and avoid Dean all day; I had to face him sometime. I got dressed, and stalled for as long as I could in my room, but I was soon out of things to do, and decided to finally head downstairs. When I walked into the room, Dean looked at me, and smiled, but didn't say anything. I was afraid to approach him, for fear of awkward silence, which I could never stand. I walked past him, and bumped into Damon, not having seen him. He gave me a wide grin.

"Morning, starshine," he said, brightly. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Morning," I said, as he brushed past me to the counter. He had the kitchen towel over his shoulder. I looked over at Dean, and saw that he'd been watching me. He instantly looked down when he caught me looking at him, meaning he'd seen that. Was he mad that Damon and I still got along, that we got along even if Dean and I weren't at the moment? I sighed, and looked at Elena. She gave me a concerned look, and motioned her eyes to the other room. She wanted to talk. I set my plate in the open seat between Dean and Damon, knowing that they'd done that on purpose, and followed Elena to the other room.

"What's going on with Dean? He's been acting weird all morning, are you guys okay?" she asked, the concern back in her eyes. I sighed, and shook my head.

"We're not really talking right now, and I feel like...he doesn't even know me anymore, Elena. He's distant; last night, he was totally clinging to his side of the bed, and I clung to mine...its like we're strangers to each other now...I think he's angry that Damon and I are so close," I told her, tucking my hair behind my ear. Her brows knitted, she looked down. "Elena, this is all my fault, I don't think I should've come back to Mystic Falls...not that I blame any of you guys, I blame myself for this whole mess that I've managed to throw myself into, I just...I just don't know what to do," I told her, resting my forehead in my hand. She rubbed my back.

"I think you should talk to Dean, see what's going on, and see what he wants to do," she said, softly. I nodded, knowing she was right. And that was what I was gonna do. I walked into the kitchen, and sat between the boys, and settled in for a very uncomfortable silence. I finished quickly, and took care of my plate, and went to find Dean. I found him in the parlor, and I could tell that Elena was keeping Stephan and Damon occupied in the kitchen, so that we could be alone. I could feel my heart racing, knowing this conversation would only be painful for both of us. _Here it goes, _I thought to myself, sighing.

"Dean, we need to talk," I told him, nervously. He sighed, and turned to me.

"I agree, but the truth is I'm dreading this...I think we both know how this is gonna end, you know, for us," he said, his brows raised and his eyes narrowed.

"I've actually been wondering how we got here, I never thought we could," I said. He scoffed, and muttered something.

"It could be the vampire that I know still loves you," he said. I looked at him.

"No, Dean, this is me, this isn't Damon," I said, shaking my head. He looked at me with ice in his eyes, and I realized that he'd seen that coming.

"And then there's that, the way you're so quick to stand up for him, and blame yourself," he said, standing to move away from me. He rubbed his hand across his face. "Have you forgotten that he's a vampire, and that I am a hunter...hell, you're a hunter, too, and yet, you've gone to bed with the enemy! By protecting him, you're keeping me from doing my job!" he said, jabbing a finger at himself.

"And I've told you why I've protected him, Dean-

"Oh, right, he's not like the others...he'd never hurt you, well newsflash, look what he's done since we've been here...he has managed to tear us apart!" he yelled.

"Again, that is MY fault, Dean, leave him out of this!" I yelled back. Dean seemed to grow more angry with every word I said.

"Stop standing up for him...he is a monster, a vampire, how can you stand it? Being with an undead thing that kills people for pleasure?" he asked, rhetorically. This whole time, I stared at him, shaking my head.

"You know what Dean? When I came in here, I thought maybe, just maybe, we could have a quiet conversation, and work this out-

"Well, you thought wrong," he spat at me, and turned away from me.

"Obviously...I thought maybe you'd be mature about this, but I could see I was wrong," I said, and I could feel my whole body trembling from the pain of fighting with him. But he just made me angrier, I could barely stand to look at him. I looked down, and he moved across the room to the door, having had enough. I wasn't gonna let it be that simple, so I followed him out.

"Why do you always run away from me? Are you afraid of me, now? Are you afraid of what it is you're feeling?" I asked, the tears starting to surface. He spun around to face me, his eyes full of ice.

"You're so close to that damn thing, you tell him that if I ever see him again, I will stake him...I don't care anymore, Trinity, do you get it? I don't care that he plays good guy! I am a hunter, and its what I do, you don't like it, don't bother packing to come with me when I leave!" He walked up to me, his hands grasping my arms so hard, it felt like they would snap.

"Ow, Dean, you're hurting me!" I said, but he didn't hear me. He shook me in his grasp, trying to get me to look into his eyes.

"I mean it, I don't care...same goes for his brother...I thought you understood what you signed up for when I met you...but I guess I was wrong! Truth is, I don't even know you anymore!" he said, his eyes hurt and filled with fresh pain. We both knew what had just happened here, we had officially ended what was left of our relationship. And I could tell it was killing him, because it was killing me as well. He had tears in his eyes as he climbed into the Impala, and took off down the gravel road that led into town. I sank to my knees right there, and let myself fall to pieces right there, not really caring that I was sitting in the driveway.


	28. Do I?

**Hey guys,**

**moonbluewolf here... I figured I'd do a tribute for Dean/Trinity since their relationship seems to be in the air as of now...some of you may know this song, some of you may not, but I figured it was the perfect song to describe their relationship, and how Dean is taking everything that's happening to him. I do not have a vid of my own on youtube, because I don't know how to make one...if you guys know how, and would like to, knock yourselves out! there is no story in this chapter; I thought it'd be interesting if I just put the lyrics to the song in it instead. I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Chapter 28: Do I**

Baby, what are we becoming?

It feels just like we're always runnin

Rollin through the motions every day

I could lean in to hold you

or act like I don't even know you;

seems like you could care less either way.

What happened to that girl I used to know?

I just want us back to the way we were before

Do I turn you on at all when I kiss you, baby?

Does the sight of me wanting you drive you crazy?

Do I have your love?

Am I still enough?

Tell me, don't I

Tell me, do I, baby

Give you everything that you ever wanted?

Would you rather just turn away and leave me lonely?

Do I just need to give up and get on with my life?

Baby, do I?

Remember when we didn't have nothin?

What a perfect, simple kind of lovin,

baby, those sure were the days.

There was a time our love ran wild and free

But now I'm second guessin

everything I feel

[Repeat chorus]

Baby, do I

Still give you what you need?

Still take your breath away?

Light up a spark when I'm near

Baby, do I...

Ohhhh...

[Repeat Chorus]

Tell me, do I get one more try?

Do I?

Baby, do I?


	29. The Final Straw

**Chapter 29: The Final Straw**

~Damon's POV~

I paced for hours, waiting for Trinity in her room, wondering what had happened, and if she was alright. She probably wasn't alright, not with what went down between her and the hunter. I only listened to parts of the conversation, some parts too difficult to listen to, like when she told him not to bring me into it.

She finally walked into the room, her hands on her arms, and she was shivering. I rushed to her in vampire speed, and covered her with my jacket.

"He's gone, he just left me out there in the cold...I don't know how long I was out there," she said, which wasn't good for her. It was like thirty degrees out there...she'd had to have been out there a good three hours, and with what she was wearing, that was not a good thing. Her skin was pale, and freezing. Her lips were blue and purple, she'd been out there too long. She shivered again, so I pulled her against me, and rubbed my hand up and down her arm, creating enough friction to warm her.

"Oww, Damon, easy on the arms," she said, causing me to stop.

"I'm not rubbing that hard, Trin," I told her. She shook her head, and removed the jacket so that I could see. She had black and blue bruises on her arms, right above her elbows. I tried to look her in the eye, but she was so emotionally wounded that I gave up quickly.

"What did he do to you?" I asked her, softly. She wiped away a tear that had escaped the duct.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she replied, her voice holding no emotion. She didn't have to tell me, I knew what he'd done to her; some guys don't know their own strength, but I never thought this guy would hurt her, not this way. Looks like she was more than emotionally wounded, she was physically wounded as well, and that was not something that sat well with me. I could feel the anger start to boil inside of me, but I remembered that she needed someone to stay here with her. I calmed myself, and promised silently to go after him in the morning. Right now, she needed me, and I would be here for her. I gently took her hand, and she stood up. Her eyes were locked in one place, like she was in a trance, but I left her to it, thinking maybe it was the only thing that was keeping her from falling apart at the moment. I helped her into bed, and turned to go downstairs...I needed to tell the other two what had happened. Elena had told me not to listen to the conversation, but now I know that it'd been a good thing I had; although, I wish I'd been there to stop him from hurting her that way.

"I'll be right back, Trinity, okay?" I asked her, quietly. She didn't say anything, but I saw a single tear roll down her face as she lay there in bed. I crept downstairs, and got Elena and Stephan together. They both looked at me, Elena had sadness in her eyes.

"How is she?" she asked, her voice breaking. I didn't answer, but looked down, then back up at her. Tears filled her eyes, and Stephan looked at me, taking Elena into an embrace. "I should go see her, I told her to talk to Dean," she said, but I blocked her way, giving her a look of sympathy.

"I don't think she's ready for that just yet, Elena...she's not really all there right now, I'm the only one she'll see for now, just for a couple of days," I told her. She sighed, but nodded. "I did come down here for a reason, I wanted to tell you both something you're not gonna like," I said. They crowded around with furrowed eyebrows. "He hurt her," I said. They looked at me.

"Obviously, Damon, she's upstairs torn to shreds," Elena said, the tears having been released.

"No, I mean physically, he probably didn't mean to, but she's got bruises on her arms where he grabbed her," I told them, trying to keep my anger under control. Elena saw that I was losing it, and touched my arm.

"I'm sure it was an accident, Damon, he probably doesn't even know," she said. I couldn't be sure. I heard her moving around upstairs, and turned to go back to her. I got up to the bedroom, and saw that she was looking around for something.

"What are you looking for Trin? I'll get it for you," I said, moving to the side of the bed. She stopped searching, and relaxed on the bed.

"You're back... I was looking for you, I wasn't sure if you'd returned," she replied, sounding a little dazed like she'd been asleep. I grinned, and slid in next to her.

"I'm here, you're safe," I said, softly. She nodded, and took my hand, moving it to where it lay over her. I gently pressed my lips to her shoulder, and closed my eyes, for I could smell her blood as it flowed under her skin. I laid my head in my hand, my arm propped up by my elbow, and watched her, protectively. I knew one thing for sure, he'd never touch her again, not as long as I was around. I had my plan laid out, I just hoped it would work, and that she would forgive me for it. I knew that no matter how much he had hurt her, she could never hate him enough to wish this on him...but I was that protective, and I didn't like him.

I slowly moved out of her grasp, and slipped out the window, taking off to his hotel room. I followed the stench of the exhaust from that rust bucket he drove, and found him in a hotel not far from downtown.

~Dean's POV~

I paced in my room, unable to stop thinking about what had just happened...something I never thought would happen. I had hurt the girl I loved, the girl I _still_ loved. I'd lied when I told her I didn't care anymore, because I could never stop caring about her, no matter how bad it got.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I could feel that something was there with me. It raced around the room, and it moved too fast for me to see what it was.

"You think you can get away with it? You hurt her, and now I've come to hurt you," I heard a voice whisper in my ear. I turned to see who it was, but was faced with nothing. I looked around the room, my heart starting to pound. It raced around my room, and I realized who it was I was fighting. I smirked.

"Ahh, Damon, I knew you'd show your fugly face sooner or later," I said, standing still.

"Yea, except you don't know who you're dealing with...I've been alive since 1838, and drinking human blood since, do you really think you're stronger than me?" Damon asked.

"So, you really _are_ a monster, feeding on innocent people whenever you feel like?" I asked, looking around, keeping my guard up.

"We're not discussing me...we're talking about the girl you claim to love, and yet you hurt her, then you leave her," he said. I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Well, look at you, here to play hero...that's sweet... you do realize that no matter how much I hurt her, she would never want you to kill me, she'll hate you forever if she finds out I'm dead," I pointed out to him, "the bitch of the bunch is, she'll know it was you," I concluded.

"She's broken because of you...she may blame herself, but this is your fault, and now I'm here to make sure you pay," he threatened.

"So what are you gonna do? Hide from me until you bore me to death?" I asked. He finally dropped down in front of me, the veins under his eyes mapping their way over his face. His fangs exposed, he lunged at me. I picked up the maschetti, and tried to slice through him, but he moved too fast for my arm to connect. He took the sword from my hand, and threw it across the room. He picked me up by the throat, and slammed me against the wall. I saw him glance down at my throat, then back up into my eyes.

"As much as I would love the thrill of killing you, I know someone who's just been dying for a taste of you," he said through his fangs. His grasp around my throat grew tighter, and everything began to blur. He finally threw me across the room, and the last thing I remember seeing was him standing over me, smirking.


	30. The Offering

**Chapter 30: The Offering**

~Damon's POV~

"What can I do for you, bro? Make it snappy, I have an errand to run," I answered my phone, annoyed by the ringing. I looked in my rearview mirror, and glared at the unconscious hunter in the backseat.

"Where are you, Damon? Trinity's been looking for three hours, and she's starting to freak out," he replied. I thought about what to do, and decided to talk to her.

"Put her on," I told Stephan, and Trinity came on the line.

"Damon? Where are you? I woke up, and you weren't there," she said. I wondered how much I should tell her, or if I should tell her about it at all.

"I'm sorry, Trin, I forgot to leave a note before I left...listen, I had an errand to run, so I had to get up; I would've told you, but I didn't wanna wake you. You'd been through so much, you needed your rest. I promise I won't be gone much longer, and then I'll be there, I promise," I told her.

"Okay, come back soon, oh and Damon...I love you," she told me. I looked at the phone, and grinned.

"I love you, too, can you put Stephan on, please?" I asked her, hoping that she would never have to learn the truth about what I was doing to her ex. It switched back.

"Damon..." he answered.

"Stephan, I want you to take care of her today...I'm not sure how long I'm gonna be gone; to tell you the truth, I may not get to come back from this at all," I said, trying to be as cryptic as I could.

"What are you talking about, Damon? What's going on?" he asked, and I could swear I heard concern in his voice.

"Goodbye, brother," I said, and hung up. I looked at the unconscious hunter in the backseat, who was starting to come to. He jumped when he saw me looking at him in the rearview mirror.

"Mornin, sunshine," I said, smirking in the mirror. He glared at me with ice in his eyes.

"Eat me, twilight," he responded, his voice raspy.

"Don't make me gag, hunter," I said, smiling.

"What do you want? You can't be doin this just because of Trinity, so why?" he asked, suspiciously.

"I'm doin this because you pissed me off," I said, narrowing my eyes at him in the mirror. He looked at me, confused.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, you know exactly what I'm talking about...I'm a vampire, I can hear miles away, meaning I heard every word you said about me last night...did you really think I wouldn't hear you?" I asked, then laughed to myself.

"You're lying...you've already told me that you're doing this for her-

"Wrong her, hunter boy...you thought I was talking about Trin-

"I've never met Katharine, there's no way I could've hurt her, so there's only one other girl you could've been talking about," he pointed out. As much as I hated to admit it, he'd caught me...but it didn't matter. I had him by the shorthairs, and he knew it. "Where are you taking me?" he asked.

"What is this, roadtrip bonding?" I asked, sarcastically.

"I'd rather not bond with something that eats people for fun, especially not you...you have managed to turn my world upside down since the first time I met you, and now you've managed to take one of the things that matters to me the most, you couldn't make my life any worse than it is now," he said.

"Trying the guilt card...doesn't work on me, I've learned to be able to switch off my emotions when I'm around you, makes it easier to dream about ripping that throat of yours out, and letting the dogs have the rest," I told him, smiling to myself.

"Trinity was wrong about you, you're just like them: you're just as cold, as low to the ground as they come, you're sick, and there's nothing I'd enjoy more than hacking your head off with a chainsaw," he said, snarling.

"Don't make me turn this car around, I'd hate to deliver you all messed up," I said, grinning, knowing all this would be over soon. Not caring why, I found out that Katharine was holding up in the same place she had held Trinity and I two years ago. I figured I was close when all the houses disappeared and I saw I was in the middle of nowhere. Pretty soon, I spotted it. Flashbacks swept through my head like a tsunami, as I remembered everything she had put Trinity and I through, making my anger boil inside me.

"Where are we?" the hunter asked from the backseat, bringing me back to the present. I ignored him, and got out of the car. Opening the back door, I jerked the hunter out onto his feet, and pushed him forward. I stood him up against the wall right next to the door.

"Alright, here's the deal, hunter boy: I'm gonna go in, and check out the place; now you try to run, I'll just chase you, catch up, and break your legs...don't think I won't," I said, and entered the building. I walked through the darkness, but came to a lighted area.

"Damon...you're the last person I thought would come to see me, must be the obsession that brought you here," a catlike voice said, coming from the darkness. Katharine approached me, and ran her hands down my chest. She pressed herself against me, and stroked my face. I did my best not to snarl, to push her away.

"I'm here on business, Katharine, I actually have a gift for you," I said. She backed off, cautiously, and her features grew serious.

"And what would that be? You know its not you I want, what else could you possibly have to offer me?" she asked. I smirked, and went out the way I came, grabbing the hunter by the collar, and dragging him in behind me. I threw him into the spotlight, and he grunted as he landed back-first on the floor. Katharine gasped, and grinned widely at me.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in, literally," Katharine said, her voice dripping with humor at her own joke. She moved towards him, but I stepped in front of him, and smirked at her.

"Nah ah ah...not so fast, I wanna offer you a deal, Katharine," I told her, hoping to God, or whatever, that this worked.


	31. Sweet Revenge

**Chapter 31: Sweet Revenge**

~Damon's POV~

"A deal?" she responded. I nodded. The hunter tried to get up and run, but I grabbed him by his shirt, and threw him back down.

"Stay boy, we're not done with you," I said, smirking. He struggled in my grasp, muttering incoherently, and I realized I loved the amount of power I held over him. I stood back up, and faced Katharine. "Now, as I was saying, the deal is I give you the hunter, but you have to promise not to go after Trinity," I negotiated.

Her eyes narrowed as she considered it, and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, we have a deal, now give him to me," she replied. I picked the hunter up, and threw him. She caught him, and her eyes grew wide with hunger. I turned to her, meaning to tell her about the vervain in his blood, but decided against it, and left with a smile on my face.

~Dean's POV~

"What am I gonna do with you? I should stick to my promise, but considering I'm bored out of my skull, and you won't come in handy any other way, I guess I could stick to my original plan, and attack your girlfriend...nothing would break her more than having _you_ attack her as a _vampire_ that _Damon_ partially created," Katharine said, her grin growing wider as she thought of a plan. "She'll be begging to die, if she isn't already," she said. She had me tied to a pole, but thankfully not gagged.

"What do you mean if she isn't already?" I asked her. She smirked at me.

"I know about what happened at the Salvatore Mansion last night, between you and Trinity...that must've hurt," she said. Suddenly, all the memories of last night rushed through my head; I could still see the fear in Trinity's eyes, the pain. I could still hear her cries in my head.

"I still don't understand," I said. She rolled her eyes.

"How you left, and what you said to her didn't make her angry...instead you crushed her, she's at the mansion right now wishing she was dead, and so do I to be honest with you," she said in a casual tone. I tried not to flinch at what she was saying, but I believed her. Trinity had been blaming herself from the beginning, and last night, I...I lost it, and took all the anger I was feeling out on her.

"The only thing that's keeping her whole and alive right now is Damon and his love for her, but once I set you on her...she'll be destroyed all over again, and you'll be there to grant her wish," Katharine said, putting the puzzle together. I shook my head.

"That would work if I actually wanted it to happen, but it won't," I told her, smirking.

"No? Do you doubt that you'll be that hungry, that you'll be able to resist the hunger...even around her?" Katharine said.

"Oh no, I don't doubt it, but I do doubt that I'll be going after her...see, what you don't understand is that even though we fought last night, I would give my life for her no matter what happens between us, she matters more to me than this feud between you and the set of frat boys you got lined up at your altar back at the mansion," I said. Katharine rolled her eyes. "I do have a question for _you_," I said after a while. She sighed.

"Shoot, or stake, whatever," she said.

"You're doing all of this just to get back at the vamp who won't take you back? You're going after _my_ girl to get back at _your_ guy? Why? What does Trinity have to do with anything?" I asked her.

"You said _a_ question, not twenty," she replied, dancing around it. She sighed again, and hesitated. "I'm going after your girlfriend because its someone Stephan cares about," she answered.

"Then why not go after-,"

"Elena? Because she's too well protected, and because...oh no, I'm not gonna spill my guts out to you, nice try," she responded, a cat-like smirk on her face.

**Three hours later...**

~Trinity's POV~

"Hey, guys," I said, walking into the parlor where Elena and Stephan were seated. Both turned to me, their smiles disappearing, and worry taking its place. "Don't worry, I'm feeling better," I said, glancing at Damon at my side. His hand was interlaced with mine, and he smiled at me when I looked at him. We sat down, across from them, Damon laying an arm behind me for me to lean on.

"So what's going on down here in the peanut gallery?" I asked, sighing. Elena grinned, and moved to the edge of her seat.

"Nothing much, really, we're just talking about a party going on down at the grill; do you wanna join us, you know, get out of the house? I think we could all use a break from all the craziness around here lately," she offered. I looked at Damon, who shrugged and smiled.

"Yea, that actually sounds great...I could definitely use a night out, I guess I'll go get dressed," I said, standing. Damon stood too.

"Race you up the stairs?" he asked, grinning. I stared at him like he was drunk.

"We both know you'll win with that speed boost of yours," I told him. He stood still, and looked at the non-existent watch on his wrist.

"Oh come on, I'll give you a two minute head start," he said. I shrugged, and took off up the stairs, only to find him waiting for me at the top, smirking. "What took you so long?" he asked, the grin still there. Just then, the doorbell rang at the bottom, and I thought I'd go answer it, since I was pretty much the closest. I dragged my feet down the stairs, and Damon followed, muttering about how he didn't miss the slow side of being human. He imitated me, making me laugh all the way to the door. I opened the door to find Dean standing there with a cold glare aimed at Damon, standing behind me.

"You son of a bitch," he spat at Damon, jumping at him with a vervain dart that I recognized as one of Alaric's weapons. Damon moved with speed, and they moved so fast I wasn't able to keep up for awhile. But within minutes, somehow, Dean had gotten the upperhand, and had Damon pinned on his back, and Dean had the vervain dart pointed at him, ready to plunge it into him.

"Dean, NO!" I screamed, but found I couldn't move.


	32. My Immortal

**Chapter 32: My Immortal**

~Trinity's POV~

"Dean, no, you can't!" I said, my feet unable to move. Stephan pushed past me, and grabbed Dean by the shirt, throwing him off Damon. I ran to his side, and took his hand in mine. "You're gonna be okay," I said, shaking with relief. I glared at Dean. "What the hell are you doing?" I yelled. Damon sat up, and looked at me, a relieved look on his face.

"Why don't you ask _him_?" Dean asked, pointing a finger at Damon. I looked at Damon, and he shrugged. "Don't act like you don't know, you son of a bitch, you almost got me killed!" Dean accused him. I stood up, and got in Dean's line of sight.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I heard Damon sigh behind me, and I turned to face him. "Damon, what is he talking about?" I asked, calmly. He glared at Dean, but looked at me, apologetically.

"That errand I told you about... well I attacked him, and took him to Katharine," he told me, fear and sadness in his eyes. I looked at him, not sure how I was supposed to feel. He took my silence as a sign to continue. "I just saw how he had hurt you, and I snapped. I couldn't stand what he had done to you, especially the bruises on your arms-,"

"What bruises?" Dean asked, cutting Damon off, looking a bit surprised. I rolled up my sleeves, and Dean gazed at the now fading bruises he had left on my arms. He looked up at me. "I did that?" he asked, his eyes apologetic.

"It's okay," I told him, not wishing to make it a big deal. Damon's eyes grew wide at my response.

"Its not okay, Trin,-

"Damon," I whispered, and gave him a small grin. I rolled my sleeve back down, and placed my hand on Damon's shoulder. "Can I please talk to Dean alone for a minute?" I asked him, pleading in my eyes. He hesitated, and nodded.

"I'll be outside," he replied. They walked out, and I was left there with Dean. I crossed my arms over my chest, and looked at Dean. He looked a little pale.

"Dean, are you okay?" I asked, unsure of how I was feeling myself. He didn't look at me, but nodded. He didn't have a clear emotion on his face, I couldn't tell how he was feeling at the moment, like I'd always been able to. He was no longer an open book to me.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I did to you, I didn't know I'd squeezed you that hard, you know I'd never hurt you intentionally," he said, still not looking at me. I walked up to him, and touched his arm.

"Its okay, I'm fine really...although, I gotta say its a shock you're here right now, I thought I'd never see you again," I said, smiling. He nodded his head, thoughtfully.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't expect to come back here again," he said. I couldn't help, but flinch.

"How did you get here? I didn't see the Impala outside," I asked him, curious. He finally looked at me.

"I, uh, got a ride from a guy that was coming through...yea, my reputation is plummeting with everything that's going on with me lately," he said, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"Damon said he gave you to Katharine...does that mean she..." I asked, unable to see Dean as a vampire.

"No, I'm still human...I know it doesn't fall into your category, but there are some things I'd like to keep intact, that being one of them," he said, his voice bitter when I nodded. "I noticed how you reacted to my news that Damon turned me in...you didn't even show a smear of anger towards him...why not? Would it be too hard of a choice if he and I were _both_ bloodthirsty monsters?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, Dean...but, I do know it wouldn't be easy for you because you'd spend too much time hating yourself for what you've become, and fighting it, than you would try to survive as a newborn vampire," I told him. He nodded.

"You got a point there, but I still don't hear you blaming him for what he did to me, I still don't hear the anger I thought I would hear_ if _you ever learned the truth about the situation," he said, getting closer til he was right up against me. I couldn't look into his eyes, for fear of what I knew was there. He walked away, shaking his head. "I don't get you, anymore," he said, turning to face me. "You really don't care anymore, do you? It doesn't matter to you that she could've turned me tonight," he stated. I finally looked up at him, and regretted it instantly. I could feel the tears start to run over, but only two escaped the first round.

"Dean, its tearing me up inside just thinking about you being turned...I don't know how I would've dealt with it, but I do know that no matter what happens between us, you will never stop mattering to me, I will always care about you," I told him, trying to control the sobs in my throat as they fought their way to the surface. He nodded, but I got the sense he didn't believe me. "How long were you with her?" I asked, finally gaining control.

"Three hours...three hours of torture, emotional torture...and you know what? She was right about us," he said, his voice dripping with venom. He looked at me again, but this time, he looked at me like he didn't know who I was.

"What did she say, exactly?" I asked, the anger starting to boil for Katharine.

"She said that there was no way we could ever come back from this...that you had ended it when you fell in love with a vampire, especially one like Damon," he said. "I know everything he's done since he arrived back in Mystic Falls, and I couldn't figure out how you could still take him after any of it, til I realized that maybe you're more like him than you are me...I am a hunter, Trinity, I hunt things like him, but yet, I can't touch him because you're in my way," he said. I flinched at the truth as it drove its way through my heart like a stake. "I'm leaving this town tonight, because honestly, I can only take so much of this. You ever discover that he's not a white knight, give me a call, until then..." he said, but left without completing whatever was left of that sentence. Damon walked in then, and he had a worried expression on his face. I gestured over my shoulder.

"I'm assuming you heard most of that," I said, my voice breaking, though I was trying to control it. He nodded, his eyes sad. He pulled into his arms, and I laid my head against his chest, and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I'm sorry, Damon...all you ever seem to be doing is picking up the pieces," I said into the fabric of his sweater. He leaned back to look at me, and wiped away the tears that had escaped.

"I don't mind picking up the pieces, as long as I'm the one who makes you smile," he said, kissing the palm of my hand. I couldn't help but smile at him, and nodded. He pulled me back in, and wrapped me tightly in his arms, making me feel warm and safe. "I'm just sorry that he keeps managing to break your heart," he replied after awhile. I leaned back to look him in the eye.

"Its not my heart he's tearing to shreds, its just me..._you_ have my heart," I said, finding myself able to grin. He bent down to kiss me, his lips sweet and soft against mine.


	33. Back to Reality

**Chapter 33: Back to Reality**

"Are you sure you still wanna go out, we can stay in and just-" Damon started, but I placed a finger to his lips, stopping him.

"I can't let what's happened with Dean keep me from living my life; even if it seems to hurt every time I see him, I can't let it consume my life, not to mention drag you, Elena, and Stephan down with me," I explained. "I'm going to go upstairs and get ready like I was earlier, and if you're going to that party at the grill with me, then I suggest you do the same," I said, grinning, looking him up and down. He grinned, pleased that I was in a good mood, and followed me up the stairs to his room. When we came out, Damon was wearing his long-sleeved, gray muscle shirt, and black pants. I wore a tight-knit sweater and blue jeans.

We met Stephan and Elena downstairs, and walked out the door together, but rode separately. Damon and I rode in his mustang, Stephan and Elena in her mini cooper. We arrived a little later, catching everyone's attention as the four of us walked in. The grill was packed with people, and the music was blaring from the speakers. I felt like I was at a high school dance. Damon leaned towards me, his lips at my ear.

"We still have Kat-"

"Nah ah ah, no K-word til tomorrow...Damon, we still have lives outside of Katharine, remember? We can't let her keep us from living our lives either, we have to get back out there, or we will be known as the most boring people in this town," I said, cutting him off. He nodded, and grinned at me. Once he caught my eye, he nodded toward the dance floor. "See, I knew the fun Damon was in there somewhere," I said, pulling him onto it. He pulled me into his arms, and spun me around. Elena and Stephan followed, but went a different direction. After a few songs, we walked off the dance floor, tiredly. Damon ordered me and him a beer, and we sat at the bar. He looked around, as did I. The place was filled more than it had been when we arrived.

"Its crazy in here, tonight, like every person living in Mystic Falls is here," I said to Damon. He smiled, and took my hand in his.

"How are you?" he asked, his eyes serious.

"I feel much better...I'm here with you," I said, gazing into his eyes. "You sure know your way around the dance floor," I said, giggling. He shrugged, smirking.

"You forget I've been alive for 160-some-odd years, I know how to dance," he said, taking a swig of his beer. I laughed, and looked for Elena and Stephan, and found them still on the dancefloor. I looked over at Damon, still laughing. Soon they were off as well, and Caroline and Bonnie were with them.

Bonnie and Caroline both glared at Damon, but smiled at me as they got closer.

"Hey guys, I haven't seen you guys in so long!" I said, grabbing them both in a bear hug.

"What are you doing with Damon?" Caroline asked, a disgusted look on her face. I snickered, and looked behind me, at him, before turning back to her.

"We're dating, Caroline," I told her, playfully rolling my eyes. I knew their history, and his history with Bonnie as well, so I understood why they didn't like him, or trust him. "Its okay, he's behaving, I promise...he's different now, you guys," I told them. They both glanced behind me, and I turned around to look at him. He smiled, and raised his beer to us. I smiled, and turned back to Bonnie and Caroline. They didn't look convinced. Suddenly, I felt him behind me, and turned to look at him.

"Hey, Bonnie, Blondie," he said, addressing them both, smirking. They both glared at him.

"I'm out of here," Bonnie said, ignoring Damon's subtle hello. They both walked away, and I turned towards him, and shrugged.

"You tried," I said, grinning. He nodded, and we grabbed a booth. "So...I've been wanting to ask you about something for awhile, and didn't know how or _when_ to bring it up," I said to him. He leaned across the table, his brows furrowed, and his eyes fully focused that I couldn't help but flush red.

"What could you _possibly_ not talk to me about?" he asked, doing that eye thing he was so good at, and smirking.

"Becoming a vampire," I said, and his face was instantly darker.

"You're right, not that subject...next," he said, laying his arm across the back of the booth.

"Damon, come on, I'm just curious...I don't know how it works exactly," I begged him. He snatched his arm back, and leaned across the table to whisper something.

"No, because if I did tell you, you'll want to become one, and that is not a subject that is open for discussion...I am not going to condemn you to life in prison, and that's exactly what I would be doing if I told you," he said, smiling, pleased by his logic. I figured I wouldn't get my information from him; Damon could be so insistent when he wanted to be, and sometimes that wasn't a good thing. Really, all I knew about the transformation was that you had to die somewhere in the process, but I was blank on the rest. As if he could read my mind, he said, "the fact that you don't even know how it works just proves that you're not ready to be a vampire." I sighed, and tried to think of a source that I could go to to get the info I needed to know. I knew I couldn't go to Stephan, he'd see right through me, just like Damon had. I wondered if I could go to Elena, would she tell me, or would she tell me to drop it, too? I had to admit, though...Damon was right, I did want to be a vampire, but for only one reason: to be with him forever. The only thing I wondered was how he would feel if I ever found the guts to ask him to turn me? I wanted to be a vampire, I knew that...there were so many more advantages than staying human. As a human, you were vulnerable no matter what you did, but as a vampire, you could do anything. The question was: how could I ask Damon to turn me, when he wouldn't even talk about the transformation with me?


	34. The Subject

**Chapter 34: The Subject**

We got back to the mansion, and I still hadn't been able to break Damon's shell on approaching the vampire subject; he kept changing it every time I brought it up. I was exhausted when we got back, barely able to stand.

"So what happened?" Elena asked. I'd spent the whole trip home telling Elena and Stephan what had happened two years ago when Katharine had kidnapped me and Damon. I was surprised Damon hadn't told them already, but then again, Damon had a knack for avoiding subjects he didn't wanna talk about.

"Then I saved the day, the end," Damon interjected, rolling his eyes and smirking. I pointed at Damon, and looked at Elena.

"There ya go," I said, and chuckled. She smirked at him, and took Stephan's hand as he walked her to her car. Damon and I watched them walk away, and Damon turned to me.

"What are you doing?" he asked me, a small grin on his face. I shrugged.

"Just telling Elena what happened, why? You seemed proud that you ended up saving the day, especially that one little part at the end," I said. He smiled and shook his head.

"I'm not turning you into a vampire, Trinity, you know how I feel about being what I am," he said.

"You love being a vampire, Damon, I remember you mentioning that you love being the eternal stud," I told him. He looked up, then back down at me, this time with a sadness in his eyes.

"I was condemned by Stephan for eternity, he forced to me to become a vampire, remember? I'm not giving you this curse," he said, brushing past me, walking into the mansion. He stopped halfway, and turned back to me. "Give me one good reason you wanna be turned into a vampire," he said, the sadness still in his eyes. I stood there for a second, then ran into him, crashing my lips to his. I could feel the passion and desire; I could feel how much he wanted me, and I knew that I wanted him for eternity. His body was warm against mine, and he wrapped his arms around my waist tightly. I leaned away, and rested my forehead against his.

"Does that answer your question?" I asked, breathless. He chuckled, and opened his eyes to look at me. "I wanna be with you, Damon, for eternity...how can I do that unless we're both vampires? I'm not asking you to turn me for the power or the speed...that's just an irrelevant bonus to me. I want you, forever, Damon," I told him, stroking his cheek. His face was serious as I told him what I wanted.

"You can't do it, Damon," Stephan said, standing behind me. I turned to look at him, startled by his presence. Damon took my hand, and pulled me to his side.

"Why not Stephan? You get what you want, but I don't? Is that how it works?" Damon asked, a hint of acid in his voice.

"Elena doesn't want to become a vampire, she hasn't even brought it up," Stephan replied, then he turned to me. "Trinity, this vampire thing is not something you should mess with...it takes forever to get to our level of self-control...to be able to control the hunger that you're gonna feel on a daily basis will be difficult to manage," he said, his face completely serious. I shook my head.

"I'm willing to take that risk, Stephan, if it means getting to be with Damon forever...and you could teach me to be myself," I said. Stephan walked up closer.

"Do you remember Vicki Donovan? How out of control she was, she let the hunger control her, and she ended up almost killing Elena...Trinity, I understand wanting to be with someone forever, I do, but this isn't the way," he said.

"I have no other option, its not like Damon can become human...and there's a difference between me and Vicki, Stephan," I said. I looked at Damon, then back at Stephan. "For one, I wanna do this; another is I'll follow your rules, I'll do the animal-

"You have to intake human blood to complete the transformation, though, Trinity, and I can't let you take off on the town on an all-you-can-eat buffet," he replied. I slumped my shoulders, defeated, and looked up at Damon, who looked at me, apologies in his eyes. I figured I'd take one last shot at a life I would never get.

"What if I drank human blood from a blood bank? Would that work?" I asked, hope filling my voice as I used the last option I thought I had. Stephan shook his head.

"Has to be fresh, Trin...I'm sorry," he said, bowing his head. Damon took my hand, and led me inside, and upstairs to our room.

"What can I do, Damon, to convince you that you're the reason I wanna do this?" I asked, not sure what else to do.

"I believe that you wanna do this to be with me forever; _I _wanna be with _you_ forever, but there's only so much we can do," he said, taking both of my hands and holding them to his chest. I looked into his blue eyes, and went weak in the knees. He sighed, and pulled me against his chest, holding me close. I wrapped both my arms around his waist. "You are the most important thing to me, the only thing keeping me in Mystic Falls...if I were to lose you, I...I'm not sure I could walk away from it," he said, a ray of fear in his voice. I looked up at him, confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked. He sighed, and pulled me over to the bed.

"Okay, I'll tell you how it works...first, I bite you, then I give you some of my blood, then when I give you enough, I kill you, then you have to take in human blood, and that completes the transformation," he said. There was a knock on the door, but nobody answered it. We waited for Stephan to answer it, but he never did. I looked at Damon, curiously, then went downstairs to answer it myself. I noticed Damon standing far back away from the door.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, confused.

"Last time you answered the door, an angry hunter was on the other side...this way I'm safe," he said, smirking. I smirked at him, then turned back to the door.

"Oh my god, Dean, what happened?" I asked, horror in my voice, as Dean stood in the doorway, his entire face bloody, and his left eye swollen to a slit.

"I need your help...she has Sam," he replied. I gasped in horror as Dean collapsed, and went limp, blood running from a wound in his side.


	35. The Rescue Plan

**Chapter 35: The Rescue Plan**

"Damon, go...there's blood everywhere, you need to go, now!" I told him. Stephan and Damon went upstairs after moving Dean to the couch. Without knowing who else to call, I decided to call Elena.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice raspy. She'd been asleep.

"Elena, its me," I said, my voice worried and shaky. Elena was immediately alert.

"What's the matter? Is Stephan alright?" she asked, and I wasn't surprised she was worried about him. I ran my hand through my hair as I tried to calm myself down.

"He's fine, its Dean," I told her.

"What about him? Trinity, you're gonna have to choose between them sometime, you can't keep jumping between them-

"No, he showed up badly injured, and bleeding...I sent Damon and Stephan upstairs because of all the blood, but I can't help him by myself...I'm sorry to have woken you, but I didn't know who else to call...I didn't wanna call an ambulance because that would've gotten the police involved, and that's the last thing we need," I told her, my heart pounding in my ears.

"Alright, its alright, calm down, I'm on my way," she replied, and hung up. The first thing I did was get a big bowl of water and a rag, and started dabbing at Dean's head wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. Dean winced, his eyes scrunching up, and then they opened.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" I asked, jerking my arm back like he was gonna bite it off. He moved his hand to the back of his head, and pulled it back, his fingers covered in blood. He looked over at me, his eyes growing wide as he realized what was going on. He tried to get up.

"I have to get out of here...she has Sam," he said, then groaned in pain.

"Alright, back down, back down," I said, gently pushing him back down to laying position. "Dean...you keep saying 'she has Sam'...by 'she', do you mean-"

"Katharine? Yea, actually. Your boyfriend's brother has managed to drag both me and _my brother _into her game of cat and mouse," he replied.I continued dabbing at his head wound, but I couldn't stop looking into his eyes, and remembering everything that had happened between us. When I was sure I'd stopped the bleeding on his head, I moved to his eye.

"Can you sit up? Oh, you know what, never mind, let me fix that first," I said, lifting the hem of his shirt. Elena arrived not too long after I started on his abdomen. I switched to his eye, while she worked on the bleeding in his side. Dean told her everything he knew, and she went to go fill in Damon and Stephan upstairs to let them get started on a plan to get Sam back.

"I'm sorry, Dean, this was never supposed to happen," I told him after several minutes of silence between us. He looked at me, his eyes sincere, and took my hand in his, stopping me from tending to his eye, and held it to his chest.

"I don't blame you for this...and as much as I want to, I don't blame them either...I am going to insist that I be there to get him back," he said.

"Dean, no...how injured you are now, and going back in there, she will kill you for sure," I told him, stroking his forehead. "How could you go after her alone? You're lucky you're alive right now...did you really think you could take Katharine on alone?" I asked him, firmly. He shrugged. "Dean, she's been a vampire for who knows how long, which means that she's probably killed and/or escaped numerous hunters along the way," I explained to him.

"I can't sit here and do nothing, I made that mistake when the bitch kidnapped you, and almost lost you because of it...I'm not making the same mistake twice, not with my brother," he said. I looked at him, surprised, remembering that I had almost died because of Katharine. And it was Damon that brought me back to life with his blood. It was surely out of my system by now, considering it had been two years. I couldn't believe I had forgotten that. I focused all my attention back on Dean and what was going on now.

"Dean, you can't go back in...I won't risk losing you; we may not be together, but I still care about you, I've told you this," I said to him. I realized something, and looked along his neck for any sign that she may have turned him while he was there. He didn't have any holes in the side of his neck. "Dean, how did you learn that she had Sam? I thought you and Sam were still separated," I asked him, suspiciously. He looked at me, his brows furrowed.

"She called me from Sam's phone, why?"

"What did she say?" I asked, avoiding his question.

"She said..." he said, hesitating.

"What? What did she say, Dean?" I asked, not liking where this was obviously headed.

"You know, it doesn't matter what she said, I'm going to get my brother back; you wanna help, that's great, if not, get out of my way," he said, trying to get up again. He groaned again, and I went back to working on his wound. I pressed down on his wound.

"Ow!" he muttered.

"That's for being stubborn, you're not going back in there, you wouldn't last five minutes...it only takes a second to break your neck, either that or she'll drain the life out of you," I told him. "Damon's not even gonna let me go, and I'm the one she wants...now if I were a vampire, I could take care of this, but Stephan has talked Damon out of it, and now I'm stuck as a vulnerable human," I said, realizing I said too much. Dean looked at me, surprise and fury in his eyes.

"What? So now you wanna join them? _You_?" he asked. I looked at him, from under my bangs, and shrugged.

"I'm no good to them as a human...I always bring them trouble; at least, as a vampire, I can help them out if there's ever any trouble...this for example," I said, looking at him. "Dean, I wanna know exactly what she told you," I told him, unable to put the pieces together of why she would take Sam in the first place. He looked me in the eye, deciding whether he should come out and say it or not.

"She offered me a choice, alright," he finally said. Even though I kinda already knew the answer, I wanted to hear it.

"What choice?" I asked him, and closed my eyes, waiting for the answer I knew was coming.

"She said that I either hand you over, or she kills Sam," he said, defeated, a sad look in his eyes.


	36. Saying Goodbye

**Chapter 36: Sacrifice**

"Alright, as far as I see it, there's only one option, one way to get Sam back," I said, my arms crossed over my chest. Damon looked at me, as I paced back and forth in the parlor.

"Don't even think about it, you are not turning yourself in...we'll find another way to get the hunter out," he said, approaching me, stopping me mid-pace.

"What can we do? Its my fault she has Sam in the first place...Katharine knew she couldn't get to Dean, so she went to the next available option," I told him. Dean came in carrying a duffel bag, I assumed, was full of weapons.

"I actually agree with Damon on this one, you're not going to turn yourself in, not to that bitch," he said, setting the duffel bag down.

"Dean, you're not going in there...you still need time to heal your wounds," I told him, "you shouldn't even be up and walking around with that side wound," I said. He looked at me, his eyes narrowed.

"I feel fine...I should be moving out anyway, it doesn't do either of us any good if I stay; we'll both end up hurting each other all over again," he said, brushing past me, the duffel bag slung over his shoulder. I sighed, knowing he was right. I turned, and Damon was standing there behind me, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What do I do?" I asked him. Damon breathed a heavy sigh, and looked to where Dean had gone. He walked up to me, and took both of my hands into his, and held them to his chest. I looked up into his deep blue eyes.

"I think you should go with him, help him rescue his brother...he's going to need you," he said, but I could tell that deep down, he didn't want me to leave.

"You're letting me walk into the den of the dragon?" I asked him, raising my eyebrows. His eyes narrowed.

"I'm trusting you to be careful, and I know he won't let anything happen to you," he said, looking up at the door Dean had gone through, then back down at me.

Now I just felt undecided, because I wanted to help Dean, but I didn't want to leave Damon behind. I looked at the door, then at Damon, unable to choose. I threw my arms around Damon's neck, and inhaled his scent, never wanting to forget him.

"I love you, Damon," I whispered, and buried my face in his shoulder. His hand held my head to his shoulder, and his other arm wound around me tightly, like he never wanted to let go.

"I love you, Trinity," he said, his voice breaking. I let go, hesitantly, and looked into his clear blue eyes, tears flowing into my own. I pressed my lips to his, knowing this would be the last time I ever saw him.

I jumped into my car, and took off down the road, finding Dean wandering down the side of the road. I stopped when I got close, and he looked over at me, confused.

"What the hell are you doing? Hitch-hiking? Come on, Dean, we'll go get Sam together," I said. He shook his head.

"I'm going to rescue my brother, Trinity, but I refuse to take you with me," he said.

"Its the middle of the night, Dean, you'll never get there by foot...I'm not letting you go alone, this is one tough bitch you're dealing with, remember? This is the same one who kidnapped me two years ago, and almost killed me...and now she's two years older," I reminded him. He stopped, and so did I. His eyes thoughtful, he hesitantly got into the car.

"I have to get the Impala first, I don't have the right weapons to fight her with," he said. I looked at him, wide-eyed.

"What did you take to fight her the first time?" I asked.

"Vervain, I thought it'd be enough since I wasn't planning on staying long," he replied. My eyes grew wider.

"My God, Dean, I'm surprised now more than ever that you got out of there alive...not only did you need more than vervain alone, but you barely even needed _that_...Katharine has built up a tolerance to it, you're gonna need a lot more than simply vervain to take her down," I told him.

We arrived at his hotel room across town, and he got out of the car. He turned around, and poked his head through the window.

"Go back to the mansion, I'll take it from here," he said, his voice firm, and holding no emotion.

"Are you crazy, I'm not letting you go after her alone, especially with your injuries; you're already pushing it as it stands," I told him.

"Go back to the mansion, or I'll drag you back there myself, and I'll make sure the vampire keeps you on lockdown," he threatened. I glared at him, knowing he would make good on it.

"Fine...but Dean, you better be careful, or I swear I will kill you, myself," I threatened back. He rolled his eyes, and left me sitting there, angry that he had to be this stubborn when the situation was this bad. I waited til he pulled out and got far enough down the road before I pulled out behind him and followed him out to Katharine's "lair". It was a good thing I stayed a few cars back, so he wouldn't know I was following him back, or he wouldn't have left the hotel at all.

Katharine was staying at the same place she had been staying at two years ago when she had kidnapped me and Damon. Tonight I was gonna help get Sam out of here, even if it meant that I'd never get to leave. I could only hope that Katharine was good on her word, even though I had every reason to doubt it. I knew this was my last night on Earth, and I immediately wished I had fixed things up with Dean while we'd ridden in the same car together. Maybe I would get the chance to before she killed me. I knew I had to try, but it wouldn't be easy.

_Damon, I love you, and please forgive me for what I'm about to do,_ I thought to myself.


	37. A New Daughter of Darkness

**Chapter 37: A New Daughter of Darkness  
**

I kept my distance far from Dean, careful not to let him know I was there. I watched him as he went inside the run down building to rescue his brother. I crept closer, and found a hole in the wall and watched as Dean approached Katharine.

"Well, look who's here...I'm guessing you came to play with us," a cat-like voice said, coming from the darkness. Dean smirked, and raised his machete like a baseball bat.

"Where's my brother?" he asked. Katharine appeared out of the darkness, her body clad in a black dress, and her hair curled into ringlets at the tips. Truthfully, that was the only thing that made her look different, considering Elena's hair was always straight.

"I've got him, where's my prisoner?" she asked, a grin spreading across her face. I wasn't sure if Dean had a plan, so I decided to stay where I was in case he did; there was no point in getting us both killed.

"You didn't really expect you to turn over the girl I love, did you? I'm not that bad of a guy," he said, a dark grin on his features.

"I didn't expect you to be so stupid either... you coming here without Trinity was a bad idea, because now I have both of you, and you're not getting away from me again," she said, and pounced on Dean. I sighed to myself. _Where is your head at these days, Dean? _I thought as I walked through the door, and closed it quietly behind me.

"Let him go, Katharine," I said, walking into the light. "I'm the one you want...now give him back his brother, and let them go," I snarled at her. She stood up off Dean, and he stood, glaring at me. Katharine rolled her eyes.

"Leave it to you to ruin my fun, but its alright...the real fun will be ripping you to shreds like Stephan did to me," she said, before turning to the darkness. She walked away, and came back with Sam on a leash. Dean's eyes went wide as he looked Sam up and down.

"Son of a -

"Back off, tiger," she responded. Dean glared at her, as did I, and she hesitantly let Sam go. Dean and I watched as he limped his way over to his brother, and suddenly Katharine was standing in front of me, her hand grasping my neck tightly. Sam had made his way to his brother, and now Dean was staring wide-eyed at Katharine as she dragged me back to the other side.

"I swear if you don't let her go now, I'm gonna

"NO, Dean," I said, and turned my eyes back to the vampire, "a deal is a deal," I told them, glaring at Katharine. She put me on my feet, and turned to face the boys.

"You two are free to go, I've finally got what I want, and I don't want you raining on my parade," Katharine said to Dean. He looked at her like she was insane.

"No, we are not going anywhere unless she comes with us," Dean growled. Katharine turned her head, and glared at Dean.

"Dean, get out of here, I can handle Katharine," I told him. Katharine smirked.

"Oh please, you won't be taking care of anybody, princess...not when I'm finished with you," she spat at me, her eyes dark.

**~Dean's POV~**

"Dean, go get Damon and Stephan, bring them back here, they'll know what to do, I'll be fine," Trinity told me, her voice calm. I knew she was scared underneath that calm exterior...she was about fifteen seconds from being lunch for a psychotic vampire bitch.

"I'm not leaving you here, and besides, I'll never make it there in time," I told her.

"Katharine doesn't really want me," she said, her eyes on the vampire, "she really wants Stephan, just like two years ago...isn't that right, Katharine?" she challenged. Katharine hissed, and threw her against a wall. She looked up, and straight at me.

"Go! Now, hurry! I'll be fine," she screamed, dodging Katharine's plunge. Sam and I ran out of the building, and I could only hope that Trinny knew what she was doing. I hated to leave her here, but she'd sounded so confident, and so strong...I didn't know what else to do. We jumped into the Impala and took off to the mansion as fast as we could. When we got there, I got out of the car, and ran through the front door, not bothering to knock and wait. Once I got inside, I ran right into Damon, who spilled a glass of scotch on his shirt.

"Dammit! This was my favorite shirt...what the hell are you doing here? Where's Trinity?" he asked, his eyes dark and icy.

"Look, Twilight, Trinity's in trouble...she told me to come here and get you and your brother, she needs your help!" I told him, watching as his eyes grew wide with a fear I've never seen in a vampire.

**~Trinity's POV~**

"AAAHHHHHH" I screamed as I hit the far wall. The wall shattered, and wood rained down around me as I smashed through it. Katharine grabbed me by the throat, and raised me far enough off the floor to where I couldn't touch the ground.

"Still think you're big and bad? Why don't you deliver on some of those threats of yours, Trinny, or are you just all talk?" she asked, throwing me in the opposite direction. I slid across a table I had never seen before, and landed on the other side of it onto the dusty floor. I clutched my side, and saw the blood as it oozed out of me like a small stream.

"I don't understand...why haven't you killed me yet? You know that if you stall long enough, you'll lose your chance...just like last time," I said, grinning at her. "Damon will make sure you pay for this, just like last time...do you enjoy getting your ass handed to you by the boy who used to love you?" I teased. She grabbed me by the throat again, and held me up high.

"Do you really think they'll come for you? That Damon cares about you? I was his obsession for 145 years, I think I would know him better than you, little girl," she hissed.

"You broke his heart...after all that time he spent trying to get you out of the tomb, then finding out you weren't even there...and then you have the nerve to tell him you never loved him...you have no idea how long I've wanted to make you pay for what you did to him," I spat in her face, tears of anger welling up in my eyes. She brought me down to eye level, and stared at me, her eyes full of ice.

"I'm not gonna kill you, but I think I know exactly what I want to do," she said, and sunk her fangs into my neck. I could feel the blood pulsating out of me as she drank my life away.

**~Damon's POV~**

"Alright, what else did Katharine say?" I asked the hunter, while I paced back and forth. I felt like a large animal in a small cage.

"Nothing...just that she wanted Trinity, and that's when Trinity showed up...Katharine had me pinned down, and she came out of nowhere, almost like she was following me," he said, angrily. "I told her to come back here...she didn't listen to me, and now the vampire bitch has her," he said, more to himself than to anyone else. He stood up, and went over to the window. He looked out past the horizon, then came back to the table.

"Are you expecting someone? Don't tell me there's more of you coming, you're hard enough to deal with," I told him. He smirked at me, but his eyes were dark and had an iciness to them.

"No, I was actually keeping an eye on my brother...he's out there resting in the car, couldn't bring him in because he was bleeding, and I didn't wanna risk you taking a bite out of him," he barked. I rolled my eyes, and started pacing again.

_Dammit, Trin, you promised you'd be careful...I'll be there soon, just don't let her get close to you, _I thought, _God, I hope you're okay...I will kill Katharine this time, I swear it._

"What's going on?" Stephan asked, walking into the room. I sighed.

"We are trying to come up with a plan to get Trinny back from Katharine, although I don't see why we're not doing this on the road," I said to the hunter, who continued to glare at me.

"Because I don't want your filth in my car," he said, standing.

"We have more important things to worry about right now, and more important than that damn car...unless you really don't care about Trinity anymore," I spat at him. He stood, and got in my face, the chair he had been sitting in falling over.

"You better shut your friggin piehole, asshat, I would die for her in a second," he snarled, his voice shaking in anger.

"You sure had no problem leaving her behind," I said, clutching his throat tightly in my hand. Stephan ran and grabbed my hand.

"Let him go, Damon, this isn't helping her or anyone else...if we're gonna rescue Trinity, we need to work together, and we need to get going," he said, looking between the two of us. I dropped him, deciding he wasn't worth wasting my strength on when I would take down Katharine.

"Let's go Stephan," I said, and pushed past the hunter to the front door. "You can let yourself out," I yelled over my shoulder to the hunter. I opened the door, and my eyes widened as I saw Trinity standing there, her face tear-stained , and covered in blood. She reached towards me, fear in her eyes, but I stepped back.

"Trinity, you...you don't have a heartbeat," I managed to say. I could hear the sadness in my own voice.

"Damon," she said, her voice breaking, "she turned me...Katharine turned me...I'm a vampire...and I'm terrified."


	38. A New Way of Life

**Chapter 38: A New Way of Life**

**~Trinity's POV~**

Damon looked at me, fear and sadness in his eyes, as I stood in the doorway.

I looked down at my clothing, and saw that I was covered in human blood, figuring it was from the truck driver that I killed on the way back. I had been unable to control the hunger...I'd had no idea that Katharine would turn me, so I wasn't mentally prepared, so I couldn't control my hunger once I was turned. My throat had been burning so badly, like my mouth was on fire, and my gums were killing me. I felt even worse now, the hunger had only grown stronger since I stopped myself from draining every ounce of blood from the guy on the road. I needed to feed and soon, or I knew I would go insane.

"Come on in, Trin, its okay, don't be afraid," Damon said, calmly. I slowly walked into the mansion, afraid of what would happen once I got inside. I crossed the threshold, and Damon pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. "I am so sorry, Trin, I didn't get there in time," he said, whispering in my ear. I closed my eyes, and let the safe feeling wash over me. I felt so safe when he held me like this, like nothing could hurt me, not even Katharine.

"Damon, I don't blame you, I just wish I had been ready...it was so unexpected, I couldn't even react..." I responded.

"I'll bet you're starving, let's get you something to eat, then we can talk..." he said, closing the door behind me. He took my hand in his, and turned to go to the basement to the freezer that held all of the brothers' bloodbags. When I got past the small crowd gathered in front of the door, I spotted Dean standing on the outside. When he saw me, his eyes were full of different emotions: anger, sadness, guilt, fear, shock, and they all flashed across his face like a mirage before settling on sadness.

"Dean..."

"Oh my god, Trinity...are you-"

"A vampire?...yea...Katharine turned me, I had no idea that she was gonna do it, but everything happened so fast, last thing I remember from being human is telling you to get out of there...where's Sam?" I asked, noticing that Sam wasn't standing there. "Is he alright?" I asked him.

"He will be, you should really stay away from him," he said. I took a step forward, but he stepped back, and looked down. "Don't...I think I'm just gonna go, and get out of the way," he said, a small grin spreading across his face. He brushed past me, and walked out the door. I stayed where I was, and Damon took his place in front of me.

"He'll be okay, he's just shocked at the new you, that's all," he said, sympathetically. I grinned, gratefully at him, and then stroked my throat, the fire blazing under my skin. He took my hand, and led me to the basement door, and then I remembered the vervain shelter they had down here. Their uncle Zach and Stephan once locked Damon down here to kill him, but Damon had managed to escape and kill Zach. I stopped in my tracks, and looked at Damon, my eyes filling with tears. Damon turned to face me.

"Are you gonna kill me, Damon? I remember when Zach and Stephan locked you down here, they were gonna kill you," I said, the fear obvious in my voice. He walked up to me, a sympathetic look on his face. He was shaking his head as he got closer, and gently stroked my cheek.

"No, I promise you I won't hurt you, okay?" he asked, his brows raising as he looked into my eyes.

"Just help me, please, I'm scared Damon, and I can't do this without you," I panicked. He took me into his arms, his hand holding my head to his chest, and he held me there, and let me cry out all the fear and insecurity that I was feeling. After awhile, he looked down at me, and asked me if I felt better. I nodded, not saying anything since I didn't trust my voice. He took my hand, and led me to the freezer. He opened the lid, and told me to dig in.

"So...I just take a bag?" I asked, feeling a little weird.

"Yea, two or three, how ever many you need...oh, and let me tell you, AB negative is the best one there is," he said, smirking. I couldn't help but laugh at him, and grabbed a couple bags. He smiled, and closed the freezer, then took my hand, and led me back up the stairs. We walked into the parlor, and found Stephan and Elena sitting there, and I could tell Elena had been crying. She stood when I entered the room, and stood up to face me.

"I am so sorry she did this to you," she said, her voice cracking. My brows furrowed, I shook my head, and wrapped my arms around her.

"Elena, it wasn't your fault, and I'm okay," I said, leaning back to look at her, "it'll take some getting used to, and I do wish it hadn't been Katharine that had turned me, but in the beginning, it was what I wanted, and I think I can prolly make a go of it; I can make a new life with Damon now," I told her, softly. She nodded, and smiled.

"But what about Dean? Aren't you going to talk to him?" she asked, holding my hands in hers between the two of us. I nodded.

"I'll try, but something tells me he's totally turned off to me now," I said.

"He just has to get used to the idea that you're no longer as vulnerable as he is," Damon said, smirking.

"Would you let me go speak to him? Damon, I need to fix things between us, especially now more than never...I may never see him again, I need to do this," I told him.

"Alright, but once you get done there, I want you to come straight back here...don't make me come after you," he threatened, his eyes wide. I nodded, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Thank you," I said, and walked to the front door, but turned back to him as I remembered something. "Damon," I called, and smiled when he turned to face me, "when I get back, I want you to teach me the fun stuff, you know, the mechanics of being a vampire," I told him, excitedly.


	39. Questions and Answers

**Chapter 39: Questions and Answers**

_ Knock, knock, knock. _I wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do, and considered forgetting about it. I was just glad I fed before I came here. Dean answered, and looked at me, surprised.

"Hey," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Hey," he replied, softly, "come on in," he said, standing out of my way. "I didn't expect you to come here," he said, closing the door.

"I didn't wanna leave things the way they were...I thought you were leaving town," I told him. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and I noticed Sammy come out of the bathroom. "Hey Sammy, how are you, are you okay?" I asked, sympathetically. He smiled at me, and nodded.

"Yea, I'm okay...nice to see you, Trinity," he said, sweetly. I grinned. Sam had always been the sweet one, one somebody could call brother. He'd always been like a brother to me.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this, you were never supposed to get involved, that's my fault," I told them. Dean chuckled, and looked down. "Neither of you were supposed to get caught in Katharine's web, and I'm sorry you did," I said. Dean turned to Sam.

"Sammy, can I get a few with Trin here?" he asked his younger brother.

"Yea, sure, I'll go get us something to eat...the usual, Dean?" he asked.

"Extra bacon," Dean replied. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Typical," I said, looking at him. He shrugged, and took a swig of his beer. "How are you?" I asked him after a minute.

"I'm um...I'm adjusting, how about you? How's life as Alice? Do you enjoy being all sparkly?" he asked, smirking. I smirked back at him.

"Ha ha, very funny...no I'm still in the adjustment period, it'll take some getting used to, especially the blood drinking part," I said, smiling at him. He shook his head, and I could see he really hated the fact that I'd been turned.

"Why did you make me leave? I could've helped you, you could be human right now," he said, sadness in his voice. I sighed, and took his hand, a bit surprised when he didn't pull away.

"Dean, I made you leave because I didn't want her to go after you when she was done with me...that and I didn't want you there to see me killed, you had your brother, and that's why I came," I said, the whole experience replaying in my head. "I was willing to sacrifice myself for you and Sam; I'd known there was a good chance I wasn't gonna walk out of there," I said, looking down at my feet.

"Why?" he asked, the sadness even deeper now.

"Dean...like I said before, you weren't supposed to get involved, Katharine is not a vampire you wanna get involved with," I told him. "When you told me she had Sam, it was the last straw for me...i wasn't gonna let her hurt someone else I cared about...that's why I didn't go back to the mansion when you told me to," I said, giving him everything.

"So you had that planned all along, that's why you were out in the road, offering to help me save Sam...you were planning to sacrifice yourself the whole time," he said, his eyes growing bigger as he put the pieces together.

"Now you know the whole story," I said, leaning back in the chair. He stood up, and wandered around the room like he was in a daze, before turning back to me, a stressed look on his face.

"Did you know she was gonna turn you? Was that planned as well?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, I never expected Katharine to be the one to turn me...I honestly didn't expect to get turned at all, since Damon won't even talk about it," I told him. I flinched as I recalled the pain of getting turned...the sudden hunger, and the overwhelming pain in my gums, the fire in my throat.

"I have a question," he said, pulling me out of my reverie. "You once told me that Katharine had told Damon that she'd never loved him, that's its always been Stephan...if that's true, then why turn Damon? Why didn't she she just leave him dead in the road?" he asked, his eyes narrowed. I shook my head.

"That's a good question...you should ask Damon that, because I honestly don't know the answer," I said, sitting up. He shook his head.

"I don't plan on going back there any time soon, I was really just curious," he said. I flinched at the thought of him leaving Mystic Falls, but knew I deserved it.

~**Dean's POV**~

"Why did you really come here?" I asked, turning to face her. She shrugged, and stood up, and came up to me.

"I wanted to say goodbye, Dean...it won't be long before we go after Katharine, and end her for good...and there's a good chance I won't survive this time," she said, bowing her head, then looking back up at me, a small grin on her face. I hated the distance between us, and was dying to hold her just one last time, not bothering to care that she didn't love me anymore. I couldn't deny that I still loved her, even after everything that went down between us, she was still the only person I'd ever loved. She looked at me, and tears came to her eyes.

"Dean...I wanted to say how sorry I was for everything I've put you through since we got here...and that you will always be with me...no matter what happens, I will always love you," she said, her voice breaking.

"Stop it," I told her, daring her to keep going. "Don't you dare say goodbye...Trinity, I'm not leaving you alone here, not with her...you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I am not gonna lose you now...I love you, Trin, and I'd die for you, you know that," I told her, and crushed my lips to hers, feeling the old familiar feelings fly to the surface.


	40. A Compelled Hunter

**Chapter 40: The Compelled Hunter**

**~Trin's POV~**

I could feel how Dean had missed me by the way he was kissing me, his lips full of passion and desire. He pulled back, and I looked at him, unsure of what I was feeling, not sure if I was angry or not. I could tell he wasn't sorry for kissing me.

"Dean...I-"

"Trin, I miss you, and I know you're a vampire now, and I know you still love Damon, but you should know...that I will always be here should you need me...I love you, Trinny," he said, breathing heavily. I looked at him, but I didn't know what to say. Without saying a word, I grinned at him, and pressed my lips to his softly, wanting that familiar feeling back...just for a minute, then pulled away and walked out the door without a word to him. I still couldn't figure out how I was feeling: sad, angry, happy? Damon had once told me that when you're turned, all your emotions are heightened...was that what was happening to me, did the kiss do it? It made me feel something, I just couldn't put my finger on what it was. I knew I had to get out of there before I did something I'd regret. I got in my car, and started it, and headed back to the Salvatore mansion.

**~Dean's POV~**

I couldn't help but think about her, even as she walked out the door without a word to me. She kissed me back, that I was sure of, and then she kissed me...I hadn't seen that coming...I'd thought she'd been angry that I'd kissed her in the first place. Did she understand that I missed her more than anything, that I _loved_ her more than anything? Would she come back? What was I supposed to do now? Sam walked back into the room, carrying dinner, and spotted the big grin that not even I could force off my face.

"What's with you?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"I kissed her, I kissed Trinity...and she kissed me back," I said to him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Really? But she loves that vampire guy...Dean, do you know what you just did?" he asked me.

"You mean besides telling the girl I love that I love her...no, I don't...what did I do?" I asked, confused.

"You've confused the girl...when someone is turned, their emotions are heightened, they feel so many emotions all at the same time, and now that you've kissed Trin, you've sent hers into overdrive...what were you thinking?" he asked, getting twitchy.

"How was I supposed to know, Sam?...I had to tell her, she has a right to know how I feel about her," I told him, growing worried, wondering if what he said was true.

"You should call her, and tell her it was all a lie...it'll help her emotions calm themselves down," Sam suggested. I looked at him like he was insane.

"Are you crazy? I'm not gonna call her and tell her that...especially when its not true-

"She doesn't know what to feel, Dean," he repeated, his voice rising.

"Sam...it took me forever to get the courage to even go through with what I did...do you know how hard it was for me to tell her that? Huh? I thought for sure she'd get angry and never speak to me again, which would've been painful enough, but she kissed me back, which means she's probably feeling the same way I am," I said to him, getting frustrated.

"Probably...meaning who the hell knows? Look, I know you love her and you miss her, but you have to think of her in all of this, Dean..." he said, softly. I grabbed my jacket, and headed to the door.

"Where you going, Dean?"

"Out, I'll be back later," I said, and closed the door behind me before Sam could get another word out.

**~Trin's POV~**

I drove into the driveway of the mansion, and immediately sensed something had gone wrong while I was gone. Whatever had happened must have happened after I talked to Damon earlier. I hurriedly got out of the car, and ran to the door that was standing wide open. I could smell blood, and felt a lump in my throat as I tried to distinguish whose blood it was exactly. I used my vampire speed, and spotted blood on a nearby lamp. I wiped it on my finger, and took a whiff of it, but I still didn't know who's blood it was. I looked around, but all I found was the parlor trashed, and then I heard grunting from somewhere in the house, and figured it was coming from upstairs. _Damon._ I ran upstairs, using the vamp speed, thankful I had that to my advantage, and went to Damon's room only to find it like the parlor. _Damon, what happened here?_ I thought as I searched for whoever it had been that I had heard.

"Damon...is that you? Are you here somewhere? You have to help me, give me a sign," I whispered, looking around the room, and stepping over all the debris. I heard glass shatter behind me, and heard grunting coming from that direction as well. I walked over there, and lifted a table to find Damon under it, bloodied and broken. I knelt down at his side, and took his head into my lap, feeling shocked.

"Trinity,"

"Shh, shh, shh, you're alright, Damon, its okay," I said, getting him situated. I pushed my hair behind my ear, and tried to hide the fearful tears coming to the surface. I stroked his forehead while he lay in my lap, and looked around for Stephan and Elena, but didn't see them.

"Damon, what happened here?" I asked, continually stroking his forehead. His eyes opened and closed, and soon he was out. I looked around, scared and alone, trying to think of what I was supposed to do.


	41. No Hard Feelings

**Chapter 41: No Hard Feelings**

I managed to move Damon to the only room that wasn't trashed, which turned out to be Stephan's room. After I got him laid down, I went back to search for Stephan and Elena, scared they were still up there somewhere. I searched for hours all over the mansion, but couldn't find them anywhere. I could only hope that they were alright and out of the mansion somewhere. I raced back to Damon's side, and started patching up his wounds that hadn't healed, which was weird because they always healed almost immediately. These wounds must have been close calls, wounds that could kill him if I don't patch them up quickly. I quickly got a large bowl of water and a towel and went back to Damon, who was still out. He was bleeding heavily on his head, and it was dripping down into his eyes. I wiped it away, and he moved. I jerked my hand back, and he moved again, his eyes barely opening to reveal that deep ocean blue color.

"Damon? Its okay...I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here," I said, comforting him as I dabbed at his forehead to stop the bleeding. He grabbed my hand, gently, and looked at me.

"Trinity, you've returned...you came back," he whispered, barely audible.

"Shh, shh, don't try to talk, Damon, I'm here, and I won't leave you...just rest, it'll be alright," I told him, quietly. I started at his forehead again, and cleared the blood away. After awhile, I found myself humming, and found it to be comforting; it kept the tears of fear from coming to my eyes. I couldn't keep myself from thinking about what I could've come back to...Damon dead, Stephan and Elena dead as well...it was something my mind couldn't grasp, something I could imagine I would never get over...my family dead. Just like the first time. As much as I tried to block it out, it forced itself into my mind; I assumed it was my mind telling me I shouldn't have left. This line of thinking blurred my eyesight, and I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes, and tried to focus, but they kept returning as images ran through my head. Damon's eyes opened again, wider this time, and he tried to sit up.

"Trinity...are you alright?" he asked, his brows furrowing. I chuckled through the tears.

"I should be asking that question, don't you think?" I asked, trying to hide my fear that was now fading away. He sat up, grunting, and leaned against the headboard, letting out a deep sigh. He looked at me, and reached up to stroke my cheek. I leaned into his hand, and placed my hand over his. "You scared the hell out of me, Damon," I said, through the tears that refused to stop surfacing. He sat up, and pulled me against his chest, healed now after the hour and a half that I'd been around. It must have healed while I was working on his forehead. He kissed the top of my head, and leaned back, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

"What happened?" I asked him, getting ahold of myself, finally. He looked around, his face contorted in pain. I assumed he was remembering whatever had happened the night before.

"I don't remember much...its all very blurry, I don't even know how I got up to my room," he said, his eyes darting back and forth. "Have you heard from Stephan and Elena this morning, are they alright?" he asked, looking up at me.

"They weren't here last night?" I asked, grateful that they were okay, and not bleeding to death somewhere in the mansion I couldn't find them.

"Well they were, but they got out...I told Stephan to get Elena out of the house," he said, his features serious.

"What were you fighting that left your room and the parlor trashed?" I asked him, afraid of his answer. His eyes were wide as they looked into mine. I could see fear, a fear that I've never before seen in Damon. He's always been the strong one, the confident one, someone who always struck fear instead of felt it.

"Something...invisible, but I could hear it growling, and its claws made indentions in the floor. It didn't move too fast to see, I actually couldn't see it, it was something I'd never come across before," he described. I thought I had an idea of what he was talking about, but there was no way that was it. It couldn't be who I was thinking of.

"What kind of demon could it have been?" he asked, looking straight at me. I shook my head, not knowing whether I should tell him what I was thinking. It was impossible that he was involved, he had no reason to _be_ involved, unless maybe Katharine had something to do with it. He was the strongest demon, with a fearful army of hellhounds at his command. Could he be of any use to her? Or was she using him to get to the hellhounds? I only hoped that this was a theory, and that it would stay that way.

"Hey, are you okay? You look like you're gonna be sick," Damon pointed out. I looked at him, and tried to hide my fear, which was easier to do now that I was a vampire.

"Damon, was there anything else, besides what you told me already...did you see someone, or something that stuck out?" I asked him.

"Yea, there was a guy standing in the middle of it, and the whole time, he wore a tight smirk on his face like he was enjoying seeing whatever attacked me attack me...he had a British accent, and he wore an expensive suit...and a real smart-ass," he said, and I felt a huge lump in my throat. I guess my theory was right, there was a new player in town, and now we had to deal with him and Katharine...wonderful. I decided to call Dean in a bit, he would probably want to know about this, and maybe about what had happened here. Something flickered in my head, and I grew nervous. I looked at Damon, and decided that I would ask him.

"Damon...did the guy say anything to you before you were attacked?" I asked, nervously.

"Yea, he said something about...hunters saying 'no hard feelings' and that it was their job," he told me, confirming my suspicions. I couldn't believe it. I told Damon that I would be back in a minute, and pressed my lips to his.

"I am so sorry, Damon. I'll be right back, I gotta make a call...don't move," I told him, and stepped outside to make the call to Dean.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42: The Truth**

I dialed Dean's number, my hand shaking as I pressed send. The phone rang, and I stood out in the hallway, tapping my foot impatiently. I heard the door open behind me, and Damon poked his head out.

"What are you doing, Damon? You're not supposed to be up," I said, holding the receiver away from me. Dean's phone went to voicemail, making me wonder why he wasn't answering me. I closed the phone, and stepped up to the door where Damon was standing.

"I have to feed on blood. Once I do that, I'll heal faster...that, and I'm hungry," he said, flashing a small grin. I grinned at him, and took his hand in mine. We walked down the stairs, and we saw Stephan walk through the door of the mansion.

"Stephan!" I called from the staircase. We got to the bottom, and Stephan claimed me in a bear hug. If I had been human, he would've broke my spine with how tightly he was holding me.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked, helping his brother down the stairs, even though Damon shrugged him off.

"We're fine, well, Damon will be once he gets some AB into his system," I told Stephan. A look of relief flashed on his little brother's face. "Where's Elena?" I asked Stephan.

"She's at home. Jenna's already thinking Elena's moved out considering the amount of time she spends over here," he replied.

"Is she there alone?" Damon asked, starting to look weak.

"I'm going to the basement to get your breakfast, stay there, be back in a second," I said, unable to keep the smile off my face. I flew to the basement, and was back with Damon and Stephan, holding six bags of AB positive in my arms. I handed four of them to Damon, and kept the last two for myself. Stephan refused when I offered it to him, and I shrugged. "More for me, then," I said, cheerfully.

"Did you talk to Dean?" Damon asked me. I shook my head.

"He didn't answer when I called, which I find confusing...he always picks up when I call. Hell, he always picks up," I said, starting to feel concerned. "I'm gonna try him again," I said, digging my phone from my pocket. I dialed his number again, and listened to it ring. He answered on the second ring this time.

"Trinity? Hey, you okay?" he asked, sounding relieved for some reason.

"Dean, I'm fine, what's going on? Why didn't you pick up the first time I called?" I asked him.

"Because Crowley dropped in, and said that he'd just had a run in with a vampire, but that his pack of hellhounds had handled it...I'd thought he'd been talking about you," he said, still sounding relieved.

"No...he meant Damon, and he's lucky I don't hunt him down and take his head," I threatened.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his tone confused.

"When I left you and came back to the mansion, I found the parlor and Damon's room trashed, and then I found Damon bloodied and broken, buried in the debris," I told him, feeling angry as I thought about it.

"I really shouldn't be asking this, but is he alright?" he asked. It did surprise me that he was asking that question, but I knew he was only asking for me.

"Yea, he's feeding right now; that's the only thing that will make him feel better," I said, glancing around the corner to see Damon sucking down the blood out of the bag. I heard Dean sigh on the other end.

"I'm sorry, Trin, I really am...but I didn't send Crowley after Damon, I promise," he said.

"Dean, its okay...I know you didn't...you wouldn't, would you?" I asked him, even though I already knew the answer.

"No...its not the best way to get along with you...that, and I would never hurt you that way," he said, and I could hear the desire in his voice. Damon came around the corner, his face practically glowing from drinking blood. He smiled down at me, and I smiled back. I covered the mouthpiece with my hand, and whispered, "Feeling better?"

"Yea, I'll be fine," he replied, digging into the blood again. I uncovered the mouthpiece, and continued my conversation with Dean.

"Dean...um,"

"Look, Trinity, don't...don't say anything, okay? I kissed you, and I'm not sorry for doing it...I will always love you, no matter what, you should know that," he said. I felt a heavy lump in my throat, and fought the tears back, as the guilt of my hurting Dean crept up on me.

"Dean...you will always mean the world to me, you know that," I told him.

"I know...I just wish it was enough," he replied, sadly. I bowed my head, feeling the overwhelming sadness wash over me, but tried desperately to hide it from Damon.

"Are you leaving Mystic Falls?" I asked, hoping he'd say yes, but also wanting him to say no.

"Yea, its gotten difficult to stay here...neither of us will ever be able to move on if I stay; besides, me and Sammy gotta keep moving, there's still things that need to be hunted. On the day we leave, can I see you one last time?" he asked me, his voice full of desperation. I nodded, struggling to keep the tears from making their way to the surface.

"Of course, Dean, I would like that...just let me know when you decide to go, and I'll be there," I replied, a tear finally rolling down my cheek.

"I'll do that...hey, I gotta go...I'm exhausted, I'll call you later, okay?" he replied.

"Okay, sleep good, Dean, I'll talk to you later," I told him, grinning, finally winning the war against the sadness. We said goodbye, and I hung up the phone, then turned to face Damon, smiling.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his face holding a sweet smile. I smiled back at him.

"Yea, its just difficult to say goodbye to someone I care about, that's all...I'm okay though," I said. He rubbed his hand up and down my arms before taking my hands into his, kissing one of them. "What's happening?" I asked, distracting myself from the pain of letting Dean walk out of my life.

"Well, now that Stefan's back,we're gonna go find the damn thing that attacked me earlier, and trashed my room," he said, smirking. I shook my head.

"Damon, no, let me handle Crowley...you don't know what he's capable of...you'll never find him," I said. He rolled his eyes, and frowned.

"Oh, I'm sure I can track him down...he's never come across anything like me before-"

"And _you've_ never come across anything like _him _before," I reminded him. "I can handle Crowley...I know exactly how to play it," I said to him, not sure if my plan would actually work. All I knew was that I had to try, especially if it was the last thing I would ever do.


End file.
